You may have heard about our recent launch of one of our most popular courses – Restorative Recall! This course is all about restoring the relationship you have with your dog so they WANT to come when called no matter what! No bribing or begging them, no chasing or yelling – just the bliss of a dog at your feet when you call!
If you think of a wild goose chase when you think about calling your dog then you may be making these 3 mistakes that have made your dog want to run AWAY from you when you call.
1. Their recall cue ends their fun
Many owners make the mistake of calling their dog and using their come when called cue for instances their dog finds punishing. Do you call your dog to the dreaded bath? Do you use your dog’s name in negative tones and punishing ways? This could be the reason your dog doesn’t want to come to you when you call them!
Dogs respond to positive and rewarding events in their life. Being very habitual creatures, dogs also catch onto routine and habits very quickly. So, if you only call your dog at the dog park for home time – they will catch on and not come when called!
Their name and recall cue need to have Positive Associations for your dog to want to come to you when you call. If you want your dog to come when called – start calling them to things they find rewarding!
2. You are boring!
Whether you have a puppy or a middle-aged dog, they all just want to have fun! When you don’t play and interact with your dog in a way that they find fun and engaging, they will look for other means of fun! This means when you let your bored dog off-leash and they find another friendly dog, chirping squirrel, or squeaky dog lover – they won’t want to come back to boring old you! (sorry, not sorry)
You need to show your dog that being around you is fun and rewarding so that they rush to come to you when you call them! Find a variety of rewards that your dog loves and use them to your adventage!
3. You aren’t rewarding enough
If you own a dog, you know how much they love food, toys or both! Many owners miss A TON of training opportunities by leaving toys and food out and about and not using to reach their dogs full potential!
Dogs don’t speak our language and owners can find it hard to communicate clearly with their dogs. Using food and toys to communicate to your dog that what they are doing is a good and acceptable behaviour that you WANT them to do again, opens up that path of clear communication! I implore you to put those scattered toys away, and put their meals in ready to go sandwich bags, so you can use them throughout the day to reward your dog for EVERY GOOD THING THEY DO!
When your dog realizes they get rewarded when they are around you, they will strive to do things to get those rewards!
Shhh, I’ll let you in on a little secret…You should never stop rewarding your dogs recall! Why? Because their environment will always be rewarding to them whether you like it or not! This is something you cannot control. What you can control is how rewarding it is to be around you while they engage with you and follow along happily and willingly.
Are you struggling with your dogs Recall? Enroll in our NEW Restorative Recall Course! 9 Weeks of Lessons to get you and your dog working as a team! Click Here to Enroll!