# How to get back a lost recall?



## UKpoodle (Jul 22, 2015)

Gunther's recall used to be 100% rock solid reliable, under any circumstances, whatever the distraction may be....the sort of recall that made me feel like a smug dog owner! I put a lot of time and effort into training a reliable recall, taking it step by step, doing everything by the book. Even when he was completely reliable I would carry on with the training every time we went on a walk, calling him back to me every 5 minutes and praising and rewarding, without putting him back on the lead, so he'd never just associate the recall with a going back on the lead. I also trained him effectively to come back to a whistle.
Fast forward and his recall is now completely non existent, to the point that I can't let him have any off lead freedom. It gradually started going downhill when he was around 12 months old (adolescence?). I found I had to start calling him 2 or 3 times before he'd come to me, then 4 or 5 times, until eventually he got to the point where he just ignores me.
He's not a very food driven dog, which doesn't help. He's obsessed with meeting other dogs and unfortunately me/food/toys just aren't as rewarding as playing with that other dog at the park! I now don't let him off lead at all.
I'm wondering if a long line would work and how exactly you go about using them for recall training? Might sound like a dumb question but I want to be consistent and have a proper training plan.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I suspect you know this since you had the kind of recall that we all aspire to, but you should never have let it go past the point of calling twice without a response!

You may want to give your recall a different name since you have contaminated the original order so badly at this point. Start from scratch. I would use a 6' leash to start, but if you want to use a long line don't let him get more than 6 to 8 feet from you and then you will reel him in really fast if he even thinks about looking to ignore you. I know you said he isn't super food motivated, so think about a great tug toy and make sure you follow a good response with letting him play then move out on that 6 to 8' loose leash. As it improves let the long line distance increase one or two feet at a time while maintaining reliable responses. I would not allow this dog to run loose until you have fixed the recall. He will have to earn that privilege back.


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## UKpoodle (Jul 22, 2015)

Thanks for the advice lily, it has been very frustrating to go from having a dog that would come back to me without hesitation, even in the middle of an intense session of chase with another dog, to one that acts like I don't even exist. 
There's nothing better then seeing your dog enjoy a good romp around off lead, so I can't wait to get stuck in with the training and get back to those days!


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

I always train mine to began with on a long leash and start with 3 times of not coming and then pull them to me, and they are toys. I never used toys or food until they learnt to come, then they get treats


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

Agree that you need a new command for the recall and start out with 6-8 ft., then use your long line to go further out. Lily Cd Re is always spot on the training advice!


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Do you play hide and seek together in the house? This is a fun game for you and the dog, and it builds value in finding you. If your dog can stay, ask for a stay and leave the room. Bring your dog's meal with you. Hide somewhere, anywhere! Under a bed, behind a door, in the shower... Call your dog and laugh at how clever he is for finding you. Feed a snack, and hide again. 

Repeat this game inside, and outside, too. While holding a long line, wait for the dog to get distracted by something (other than another dog!) Hide behind a tree, a bush, a garbage can. Call your dog and laugh. Build value in coming to you by playing a fun game. 
I often hide from Noelle. I pretend that I'm trying to lose her. She likes this game a lot. 

I totally agree with Lily on this. Don't let your dog play off leash until recall is solid. Start with recalling away from little distractions and slowly work your way up from there to running around with other dogs. And by slowly, I mean set a goal of having your dog running off leash with other dogs, and coming when called on the first time, by July. Baby step your way there. You can do this.


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## PuffDaddy (Aug 24, 2016)

It is hard if he isn't that into food, toys or even you when faced with distraction. You just need to work up to that as others have mentioned. 

I agree that there is nothing more fun than watching your dog have a blast off leash, and it is obviously so good for them physically and mentally when they can really run and experience the world. But they have to be able to handle it! It must be frustrating if he can't right now. You'll get it back. 

You might want to start with playing the "look at me" aka "what's that" game with other dogs at a great enough distance so that the threshold isn't exceeded and you and the treats can still be interesting. He looks at a distraction and the moment he looks at you instead, you click and treat. They get the idea fast. Once he has that down you can add a command for it and practice with bigger and bigger distractions. That isn't directly about recall, but can be a good way of training attention in the early phases of distraction. A good first step. 

You probably already know this classic. I got that one from click-n-treat! Thanks  I am a big fan. 


It would be great if you can find that thing you can do that actually makes you more interesting than the other dogs. Have you ever tried just flapping your arms like an idiot, making whooping sounds and running away from him when you call him? And then hopping around for joy upon his return. You can also do this on a shorter leash (as suggested by others) to start, taking those baby steps. Dogs love an exciting person! The sillier you might look to other humans, the more fun you look to your dog. Is there some way that you could be super fun and interesting that you haven't thought of yet? Something a bit outside of the box? 

I agree that playing hide and seek is a really fun way to work on recall. My partner and I have a great version that we play at the dog park at night time when there are not other dogs around. It's perfect because it is an enclosed space, but it is outside with some distractions, sounds and smells, so it has a real life vibe to it. 

We go to the park and Person A hides behind a tree while the dog is distracted. Then A calls him and he has to find A. While he is celebrating that he found A, Person B hides at the other end of the dog park and calls him, and he has to come and find B. Repeat, repeat, repeat! He finds it very, very exciting and is totally thrilled when he finds us. He really runs at top speed and gets great satisfaction from the game. All you need is a friend, a dog and a non-inhabited dog park at night.

Sometimes we have treats with us, but often just lots of praise. The game is so fun it doesn't matter. Once he gets good at it, you can even practice this game with some dogs around. Best to start with the less interesting ones  Just don't be surprised if the other dogs want to play as well, because they can see how much more fun you are than their owner who is texting and smoking the whole time.

This game is a great way to exhaust him before bed, AND it helps him to pay attention to the direction of sound since we hide in the dark and at a distance. Not a bad side-skill to learn. 

In general, when I take my dog to the dog park, I try to play with him and engage him as much as possible so that he learns that I am the "funnest". He plays with other dogs too, but I think it does help to create a lifestyle of being interesting to your dog. 

You say he is not that into food, but I will throw this out there just incase. I sometimes practice recall by having an exciting grab bag of the most amazing treats possible, so the dog is taking a gamble about what it is going to get when it comes back.

The predictability of knowing what the treat will be can be demotivating, even if that one treat is great in itself, like chicken. Try mixing some fish, some sausage, some chicken, a bit of cheese, a sprinkling of ham (a mix of whatever delicious whole foods are ok for your dog to eat, and are irresistible to him or her.) 

Every time he comes back successfully, he gets a different amazing surprise! It might be enticing for the dog to keep coming back to a combination of scrumptious and rare surprises, as opposed the treats it is expecting. As with humans, even the best treat can get old. 

You have a lot of good advice here about starting small and working your way back up. That's the way to go. Stay fun, interesting and unpredictable. See if you can surprise Gunther!

lol. In some ways I think that keeping one's dog on its toes is like keeping a long term relationship or a marriage interesting and fun  If you always do things the same way it gets predictable and can lose its magic. So you gotta find ways to mix it up, surprise them and to keep 'em coming back for more!

Good luck finding that spark with Gunther! With commitment and dedication, I am sure you will get it back


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

The additional suggestions of hide and seek, and look at that to reduce the attractiveness of distractions are great ideas to add to the basic core of retraining the recall.


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## UKpoodle (Jul 22, 2015)

Thank you everyone, lots of good advice there. I have tried the running away and getting excited and acting like a big goof, but he rarely falls for it, he just looks at me and carries on. He is an incredibly stubborn dog and even when he did come back to me, he'd make sure he was just out of reach! I've run around with him on the grass and thrown a stick, doing the 'ready, set, go!' game which he loves, but again when he comes back with the stick he drops it and stands just out of reach of me and always backs off when I come near, making sure he keeps just enough distance between us so I can't grab his collar. He's a crafty devil!
I'm going to get a long line and do as suggested with gradually increasing the distance and I might take a squeeky toy to get his attention too when I call him, then give him a quick game of tug with it followed by a treat.
It'll be a slow process but we'll get there and it'll be worth it. At the moment I just don't feel like he's getting the exercise he needs, I really think dogs need a good gallop off lead to burn off some energy, especially in this cold weather when I don't want to be out walking for ages! Even though we're surrounded by countryside here, all those tempting looking large enclosed fields belong to farmers so I wouldn't dream of letting my dogs run around on their land and unfortunately we don't have such a thing as enclosed dog parks in the UK.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

You can still let your dog play off leash but you'll have to go get him. DO NOT USE THE CUE if you can't be very sure he'll come or unless he's already coming and you are within arm's reach of his collar. Along with finding whatever it is that is reinforcing to him to reward him for coming (on his own, or with some kind of enticement, NOT A CUE for now) be sure when he comes that you're not doing anything that is unpleasant to him, like ending the fun, cutting his nails, putting the leash on. If you need to put the leash on him, take it off and turn him loose again for several reps. Then put it on and continue the fun as you go inside. Make a new game after he comes for a few minutes.

You can use a long lead but I personally prefer to have the dog choose to come, not that you need to reel him in. (unless absolutely necessary) You'll get better results and not only with this one thing if the dog gets in the habit of thinking for himself. You can change the environment and the consequences that will help him to choose the "right" thing to do. haha.

I have found that it is not necessary to change the cue. Cues don't become poisoned imo. They just loose significance. But they can develop new meaning just fine. Stop calling your dog to come for the time being. Get him to come a different way...as suggested; games, running the other way, building up value in your reward. Ie: feed highly tasty things (real steak, chicken or other real meat) when the dog hasn't eaten his dinner yet. Or use your squeaky, silly voice and be the most fun, noisy thing out there. Or use a special toy that's only for this. But don't call him to come. Find out what really motivates him and use it. 

If he comes over to you, say...in the house and it's just about dinner time, entice him to come (don't use the cue) and then feed dinner. If he likes to go for a walk, don't waste an opportunity to reinforce his coming to you. ENTICE him (don't use your cue) and then get the leash (not before/bribe) and go for a walk. Does he like to go for a car ride? The same thing. Think of all the things he likes to do and use those for reinforcing his coming to you. 

When he gets more reliable again and is responding to your enticements, start trying your cue again. BUT ONLY WHEN HE'S ALREADY COMING. (at first) Re-pair (pardon the pun) the cue and the behavior. Then try using the cue as the elicitor. But start with low distractions. Start getting him in the habit again of coming when called. Make it easy though at first. '

It is totally normal for behaviors to regress and they just need a refresher course. It usually doesn't take as long to re-instate something as it did in the first place. But you must find something that is reinforcing. Without it, there is no training. Good luck.


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## PuffDaddy (Aug 24, 2016)

You are in a tough spot since you don't have any fenced in dog parks, yet your dog needs to run free to burn steam, and you can't trust him to do so.

I agree that when the dog doesn't get the exercise it needs, training feels like a thankless, arduous and possibly futile task. He might just really need that exercise he is missing out on in recent months.

It could be that you have to suck it up and walk him more to burn off enough energy so he can focus on his upcoming lessons. This is a theme in my life  I live in Finland (land of the deep freeze) and have an embarrassing one piece snow suit. But it really does the job as it enables us to walk as much as we need to even in frigid temps, rain, snow etc. I can really recommend it. My young frisky boy-dog is a total moron if he doesn't get enough exercise, and the only real solution to that is to find a way to make the exercise happen. It helps SO much. So if the cold is the reason you aren't walking much these days, then think about a snowsuit. It's powers are far stronger than any winter jacket and mittens. It is also very easy to slip on! My boyfriend and I always fight about who gets to wear it...a high value object!

Good luck with the long leash. It is a great tool with so many possibilities. We use ours often and it has helped endlessly with recall and helping the dog to learn boundaries and get exercise etc.

Can you personally ask any of those farmers if you and the dogs can run in their enclosed field? What do they really have to fear at this time of year in particular? free fertilizer for next spring? Who knows, someone might appreciate dogs and say yes. 

I hope you can find a way to get him the exercise he needs even at this dastardly time of year in the North. Good luck!


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## UKpoodle (Jul 22, 2015)

Thanks poodlebeguiled, I guess that makes perfect sense as it's how you train all other behaviours/tricks: add the cue word once the dog shows he is reliably performing the behaviour you want of him. It really is a case of going back to basics with him. I shall use the squeeky toy to get his attention to start with, without using my recall word.
Good advice, thank you!


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## UKpoodle (Jul 22, 2015)

PuffDaddy said:


> Can you personally ask any of those farmers if you and the dogs can run in their enclosed field? What do they really have to fear at this time of year in particular? free fertilizer for next spring? Who knows, someone might appreciate dogs and say yes.


I'm sure I've read somewhere that dog faeces (and traces of it) can be dangerous to sheep? Unfortunately most of the land round here is used for sheep/cattle. 

Thanks for the advice on the snowsuit.....I'm sure that'd give my kids a real laugh!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I was just thinking about what I wrote as far as saying you could still let your dog off leash but you'd have to go get him. This would not make me comfortable if I were someplace way out in the woods somewhere or near other dogs, like at a dog park (which you wouldn't find me) lol. Or someplace in the least bit dangerous. Naturally, you need to be able to get your dog. I was envisioning someplace safe, like your own back yard or some other safe area where you can let him romp and run. But don't call him to come if he's not already coming and close enough you can reach out for his collar...not that he almost comes, but bolts away again. Another tip if you don't already use it, be sure to include a release word once you get hold of his collar, reward him for coming and are about to release him again. This way he learns he's not to run off once he comes without getting permission. 

When I use to hike in north Idaho where I lived with my Dobe and other dogs, he was young and I would work on his recall. Of course, Dobes don't like to go far from their master just naturally. But he did like to run ahead a little bit. I'd call him because he had a pretty darn good recall. And I'd make a huge fuss over him, give him a very tasty treat, then release him using my special word. Before I knew it, that dog was running about 100 ft or maybe a little more ahead of me, then coming back on his own for his treat. lol. He learned to "check in" (as did my other dogs) on his own and that was really a good thing when hiking in that wilderness area. I didn't like them going out of my sight range. And they had to stay on or return to the "trail." (another learned cue) Or get back on the "trail" when I'd let them run off to the side a little ways. 

Anyhow, that Doberman had the best recall I've ever had on a dog. He would come mid chase of deer and any other distraction. Of course, they're really naturals at that sort of thing. I can't take all the credit. And while my poodles have really stupendous recalls, I don't know how they'd do with prey involved or some really super duper distraction that is way better than what they've experienced by coming to me. I haven't done that extensive training on them yet.


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