# Recall Help.



## lizweb (Jul 19, 2015)

Having problems with Poppy's recall! She is now 9months old and untill recently she was the perfect puppy, but now she has taken it into her head that if she doesn't want to come back when called, there is no way she is going to! 
At first I thought she was having too much fun playing with her friends at the park, but it is getting worse, she wont come back even when she is running free!
Treats or toys no longer work. She used to do anything if she knew I had a clicker with me, but not now. I think she wants me to chase her, which I try very hard not to do, I don't want to make it into a game.
Any ideas what I can do, please?


----------



## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Check out the many recall threads here, you are not alone. Give us an example of a time you need her to come in to you please. Normally they should follow you, not vice versa so if you are leaving the park she should follow you, no calling required. If she does not listen so she can chase something or rush to another dog then that is a safety issue and I wouldn't let her off lead until she has mastered it. It is my belief that you teach recall primarily with the bond between you. If you use treats she'll just weigh up her options. "Hook up with those lovely looking dogs or another tiny piece of freeze dried liver from mum?" If she knows you have no treats or she is not hungry all the training goes out the window. If on the other hand you call her because you "need" her, because she is your trustworthy sidekick, because you are her packmate and she trusts that great things happen to her when she listens, then she will fly to you when you call. It starts with always releasing them to "go play" when they come in to you. If all else fails do as Marzi suggests and lie down on your back. She'll rush to see what is wrong and you can grab her.


----------



## Gill57 (Mar 20, 2016)

That made me laugh Fairlie - I can just see me doing that. Getting down to lie on my back is not a problem. Getting up may well be. On a serious note - its good advice and one which i should try to follow.


----------



## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Fairly common for recall to deteriorate when pups goes through their teenage stage. I consider off lead a privilege and not a right during this period and if they are not reliable it is back on a long line until they prove reliable again.

No telling off if they do take a while to come back as that can damage your relationship very seriously so just lots of practice and setting her up to succeed by only trusting her in places she is likely to get it right


----------



## lizweb (Jul 19, 2015)

Thanks for that help. 
Poppy will follow me when I walk away, but will go off and play with another dog at the first oppertunity. Birds are another source of fun!
I usually let her off lead a few times while in the park so she doesn't associate the lead as time to home, but now if there are none of the usual dogs in the park it is just once. She is a very jealous dog and if anyone is making a fuss of a dog, Poppy pushes in to get petted too and that is the easiest time to catch her!
Once I fell and she did come running over to me and licked me to death, so I may well try that trick again!
From being the star dog at training classes to going back to this do worry me a bit.
Thanks so much for you help.


----------



## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

She sounds like a normal pup who does not want her fun to end. Making sure she is getting plenty of good long walks will help too. I prefer hiking trails to free play in the park, it is easier all round.


----------



## lizweb (Jul 19, 2015)

She does get plenty long walks, but I don't drive, so parks and the beach are her usual free running places.
Love her to bits and I'm sure she will grow out of her new "game". (Well I hope she will!).
Thanks again for all the advice.


----------



## CockapooTeddie (Oct 27, 2015)

I am going through the same thing! teddie has hit 7months and had gone from perfect recall to an ignorant teenager! He will follow me on out walks but lately if he sees another dog he will bolt, back when he was an angel i could call him and he would return to me before id let him rush off to play. But now, he makes a bee line and no matter how much i call he wont turn back until hes said hello. If I walk off he will eventually follow but i think its the initial bee line that worries me, and its annoying that when i call he just ignores. Many dog owners iv spoken to have said its common at this age like has already been said here. 
I especially like the comment about them coming back cos we are pack leader rather than hold treats! 
How can we inforce this when on a walk? 
I think Teddie is back on the extendable lead untill i feel hes abit better. 
And il let him off for short periods untill i feel his recal has improved. 
Not only does he charge at other dogs to play but he will also run at the other dog owner and jump, a very impressive high jump as if hes using them as a trampoline to bounce off of! Which of course i always apologise for and no1 seems to mind except me, maybe back on the lead will help me to teach him this isnt ok aswell? 
He no longer jumps up like that at me an my family, or at people who just ignore him. 
I feel like we just got over the annoying nipping and i felt i had the perfectly behaved pup and now this. 
He is a good boy but id like him to listen to me again when hes with his friends! Ha!


----------



## lizweb (Jul 19, 2015)

That is my Poppy to a T!
She is so loving all the rest of the time. Fingers crossed this is just another hiccup and all will come good. 
Don't feel so bad knowing I'm not the only one going through this "stage"!


----------



## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

CockapooTeddie said:


> I especially like the comment about them coming back cos we are pack leader rather than hold treats!
> How can we inforce this when on a walk?


Switch directions often without telling him. 
Hide behind a tree so he can't see you and wait until he finds you. (unless he runs to find you in the wrong direction)
Never call him or warn you are moving on, just walk. 
He'll learn that he has to watch you, not vice versa. 

Puppies are like ducklings and babies, they'll only get so far from their parents before an innate fear response kicks in. It is that fear you need to take advantage of. It sounds mean but it is why, here at least, you very rarely meet another dog walker who has to call their dog.


----------



## Michele (Nov 12, 2015)

Great advice, Fairlie. Thank you.


----------



## lizweb (Jul 19, 2015)

Fairlie, that is such a good tip!
I used to hide from my dogs before when thy were learning scent and they just loved it, why o why did I not think of that?
Thanks.


----------



## Janey153 (Mar 26, 2015)

Barney had a go at flyball recently (and loved it by the way!) and in order for him to run after me, once he'd got the ball and leapt over hurdles, I had to run in the opposite direction, waving my arms frantically and whopping with joy. (embarrassing? Surely not! 😜 Anyhow, my point is that the trainer said this is the thing to do if a dog won't come back to you - be far more exciting than the dog /fox poo /muddy puddle and they'll come running and catch up in front of you to see your expression as that's vital ... It worked at flyball and may well work in the park. Give it a go and report back please ☺


----------



## lizweb (Jul 19, 2015)

Thanks Janey153. Do run in the opposite direction frequently much to the amusement of onlookers!
Very pleased to say that Poppy is much improved with all you help, thanks. I'm the one having trouble not to call her all the time, but even I am getting better!


----------



## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

lizweb said:


> I'm the one having trouble not to call her all the time, but even I am getting better!


Glad you admitted this. The leader of a wolf pack would not be calling her pack to her all the time. She'd simply start walking and the others would follow. lizweb although you should not call them to you for no reason you do need a fabulous emergency recall. Once a day call her with a very special sound (only used for this) like a certain whistle. When she comes give her an extraordinary treat, human food is best, release her to "go play" afterwords. Keep it up once a day, then a few times a week, then a couple of times a month. Like Pavlov's dogs she'll become conditioned to race to you when she hears it.

Janey you reminded me of this woman we used to run into in a park in Ottawa. She had a dog called Hoolie who wouldn't listen. She'd walk through the trails bellowing Hoolie Hoolie Hoolie at the top of her lungs with a very proper British accent. Hoolie felt comfortable running very far afield because no matter where he went he could hear his mum screaming. I'll fully admit that I might have to resort to something like that in a situation like flyball though. As soon as Rufus learned that if he relinquished his ball his turn would be over I'd be toast.


----------



## Janey153 (Mar 26, 2015)

Great ideas Fairlie! And Hoolie made me laugh! 😁 Thank you 😊


----------



## Goosey (Aug 22, 2014)

Janey153 said:


> Barney had a go at flyball recently (and loved it by the way!) and in order for him to run after me, once he'd got the ball and leapt over hurdles, I had to run in the opposite direction, waving my arms frantically and whopping with joy. (embarrassing? Surely not! 😜 Anyhow, my point is that the trainer said this is the thing to do if a dog won't come back to you - be far more exciting than the dog /fox poo /muddy puddle and they'll come running and catch up in front of you to see your expression as that's vital ... It worked at flyball and may well work in the park. Give it a go and report back please ☺


So I can see it now barney, Molly and Sid down on the field by the river and two mad women running in the opposite direction wavy the arms in the air ! Best be wearing your tena lady


----------



## Janey153 (Mar 26, 2015)

Haha! ☺ But this is not helping the recall problem! X


----------



## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Lots of great advice.
I do think that when walking your dog it is important to really walk- I'm so lucky where I live because I can go for a walk - starting and finishing in the same place, but in between walking with purpose. I do also play with the dogs (rather than wandering along with ear phones in or texting constantly) - not all the time, sometimes I just enjoy watching the girls investigating the smells, racing the wind and chasing each other, but we have ball throwing places, training spots (great to practice some stays) and occasionally racing around or hiding behind a bush... 
Variety helps to keep my dogs focused on me - it is good to vary where we walk, or walk the 'other way round' a familiar circuit.
It is also good to have some treats with you - mostly just boring kibble for mine - but sometimes I'll take something tasty - just to remind them how good things can be!
All this said you do also have to know your dog... 
Kiki is a hunter - if she is in the zone and I do not put her on the lead before we get to a particularly squirrel/bunny rich area, more fool me.... I have orchestrated a situation where she might fail if I try to recall her to me. If I am happy for her to have a possibly prolonged period of hunting then fine.... Just now the rape in the fields around us is getting to the height where she is completely hidden - there is something about rape that has a catnip effect on her - she goes in and races around to the point of exhaustion and is deaf to me. I have discovered this and now I will only walk her through these fields on lead. In almost all other situations I would say that her recall is excellent.
The other two always stay close to the ball launcher, which I carry 
And as an added note - flyball fried Inzi's brain - it was totally too much she became this shrieking over excited totally mad canine - she loved it! She was fast and good and if I could have dedicated my life to being in the team I would have - but because I couldn't I had to stop doing it with her as it just made her far too excited and it transferred to how she behaved in agility and just generally... Hope Barney does not get addicted in the same way


----------



## Janey153 (Mar 26, 2015)

Interesting and helpful points Marzi. You're right about flyball - my trainer thought it might get too frantic for Barney on a group do I opted for a one to one session. I'll do another and decide if he could cope with the over excitement!


----------

