Recall (“Come” When Called)

When calling your pup, squat down (bend over if squatting doesn’t work for you), call the pup’s name and begin moving backwards, so your dog begins to move towards you, give the recall cue (“Penny, Come!”)

As soon as your dog starts moving toward you, praise and clap your hands enthusiastically. USE HIGH ENERGY while calling your pup!
When your dog reaches you, lure her all the way in to you (anchor the treat at your belly button); give affection by petting the collar area with one hand and reward with 1-3 small pieces of treat.

Changing your body language helps clarify what you want your pup to do
Project high energy and happiness so that you can compete with the distractions around you
Never “punish” your pup, following a recall, with boring/disliked activities. Instead, always play for 30-90 seconds when your pup responds to your recall cue, especially if working outside in a distracting environment. (I.e. if pup isn't listening to you when you first call and takes several minutes to come to you, Still Reward them for coming to you when they eventually do)

You and a helper stand several feet apart; your helper holds your pup (on or off leash) while you call her to come
Reward puppy for coming to you, as in first recall exercise.
When pup has finished her treats, your helper will call her to “come” on the other side of the room.
Continue to “ping pong” back and forth; when pup begins to predict who will call her next and offers to move in the direction of the next person to call her (before that person has said “come”), she does not get a treat and you must call her back to you. Then increase the difficulty by moving farther away/changing what side of the room you are standing in.

Hide and Seek is an advanced level of Ping Pong; instead of just standing in the middle of a room calling your dog, you “hide” – behind a door, under a table/bed, next to the couch, etc.
The point of this game is to have your pup search for you, using all of her puppy senses to do so.

Hints:

Do Not repeat the “Come” cue more than one time. If pup can not find you the first time you call to her, use different noises/sounds to encourage her to keep searching (tongue clicks/clap your hands/tap the floor or say “pup pup!” In lieu of repeating her name)
Continue encouraging your dog to come until she finds you; reward lavishly when she does.

While your pup is standing/sitting by you, show her a treat then drop it a few feet away
While your pup is eating the treat, move away from her
As soon as your pup has finished the treat, call her to come to you (one time, avoiding repeating her name or the cue “Come”)
When she gets to you, reward with a yummier treat than the one you originally dropped
Repeat several times, moving a little farther away each time

Farrah FoxJuly 17, 2021Next Steps