There will come a time when your pup is RUNNING to you indoors each time he hears his name.
If you have also been working on shaping doggy attention, you should have yourself a little shadow by now, who is hanging on your every word. Congratulation
s. You have put yourself in the trusted and beloved leader position in the eyes of your dog.
Now it's time to move outdoors where there is more distraction and play the recall game.
2 things are important to remember when training your dog.
1) when location changes, or distractions are introduced, many times you are briefly back at square one with the dog, as if he has never been taught a behavior. This is normal. Plan to reinforce your behaviors for a short while just as you did when the pup was first learning. Dogs progress fairly rapidly beyond this stage, but patience, kindness, firmness, consistency, and rewards are in order, just like when you are just beginning to train an exercise.
2) ALL dogs will go through what is called a "learning plateau" after they learn each behavior. Sometimes you will miss this plateau, but most of the time you will notice it. It happens usually between 5 and 7 weeks after a behavior has been learned. For example, you have carefully taught your puppy to sit on your verbal command. He's been sitting briskly and reliably, with a happy face and a wagging tail. One day you begin a little training, and you ask for the sit, which you are sure your dog knows, since he's been doing it reliably for 5 weeks. He looks at you like you are from mars. He has no clue. Many people get very upset, and punish puppies and dogs for not "listening". It's important to note when you are working behaviors, and when the pup has learned them. I keep a notebook. Then, if the puppy "forgets" his cues, you can go back and find out when you were training that behavior. If it's between 5 and 7 weeks ago, or thereabouts, you are likely seeing a plateau. This has been studied in detail, but researchers are unable to understand exactly why this happens. Some feel the pup is putting the behavior in his memory bank, or that the pup is noticing hand signals and/or body language that go with the command, but bottom line is, it happens OFTEN, it's documented, so be prepared for it.
So, in preparation for your outdoor recall adventures, you will need equipment.
You need a 30 to 40 foot piece of cord, and a bolt snap. These things are available at your local home supply store for a small amount. Use a light cord, but one that is strong enough to hold your dog's jerk on the end of it if necessary.
Arm yourself with a pocket full of treats, and you are ready to go.
out you go with the pup. You don't have to carry the line, and in fact, it's better if you just let him drag it. Just keep him in close enough so that you can grab the end of it if you need to.
Let the dog sniff about and get distracted.
When he is really interested in something, call his name. Help him with the line if necessary, and once he's looking at you show him the treat. As he starts towards you, say "Ralph, COME!!" with a big smile. If you really want to encourage him, kneel down, and spread your arms out wide, and be SURE to smile really big when you call him.
WHen he gets there, praise him up good, and give him several treats. He won't want to leave you again immediately, (since you are always such a good source of MARVELOUS things now...) but he will if you are patient.
With some dogs you may need a helper to distract the dog. Each time he gets distracted, call, reel him in if necessary, and PRAISE PRAISE and reward.
As time goes by, and he is more reliable, increase the intensity of the distractions.
The harder you work it, the better and more reliable your recall will be.
Get someone to hold the dog on the line. You go hide and call him. You can think of all sorts of variations. Not only is it fun, but your dog is learning a skill that will exponentially improve his life.
Imagine, never another worry about a dog running out a door, or slipping a collar, ever. Imagine KNOWING with NO doubts that your dog will come EVERY time you call him. On the beach. At the dog park. Every single time.
It works, people, but only if you work it.
