My pup is 5 months old, and we've been working using Total Recall. She will come to me in the house, inside from outside in backyard (we have doggie door) and to me in the back yard (fenced). BUT, when she occasionally slips between my legs and runs out into the front yard, i have to beg and plead her to get close enough for me to get ahold of her. I never scold her for that, or chase her runign towwards her, i just try to quietly, calmly, move towards her and coax her in. But it is dangerous for her due to cars, joggers ,etc. I have seen that in the Total Recall book, they just jump right into letting your dog off the leash to do "loose dog" recall training. This is not going to happen because as soon as she is in the front yard and i am out there, she runs away and thinks its a fun game. What is the training method to get her to recall when she is in the front yard???
Well, if it's dangerous, I wouldn't. I would ensure that she doesn't get out there not on lead, ever. This means working on her not rushing the door. This video might help with that: Also, do lots of reinforcement for having the lead put on. I always, always treat my dogs (even my three year olds) when I put the lead on. The lead is rewarding, so when I get it out, they come trotting up to me to have it put on and get their treat. Make sure the lead going on doesn't predict something bad is going to happen, such as the end of the walk, being taken inside, being taken away form playmates etc. Putting the lead on and off several times during the day and during walks, sometimes just for a few seconds before you take it off and treating every time will build positive associations with it. As an aside, I also always treat when I take the lead off. This means my dogs won't run off as soon as I unclip them. They stay focussed for their treat. Sometimes one, sometimes more, sometimes games, sometimes a bit of training. They know there's always something good going to happen with me when the lead is taken off, so they hang around until I release them to "go play".
Another thing I do is "scatter" treats. I shout "SCATTER" and throw a handful of treats around my feet. The dogs have to hunt them out. They love this game and it can give me a couple of minutes to gather them together if there's a disaster of some sort I need to avert. It's like an emergency recall, but it always means they get to hunt for some treats and have a good game. I would never use it and not pay up. At first, the game is played when the dog is already by me, then when they are a couple of feet away but looking at me, and eventually you can shout "scatter" from a distance and they'll come running to you for the game.
