The above statement is by far one of the most often heard complaints of dog owners.  Sometimes the dogs having this problem were well behaved off leash as puppies but become progressively worse as they aged.  Other dogs have never been totally trustworthy off lead.  While it is unreasonable to expect your dog to always come when called without fail 100% of the time there are some training steps that can increase the chance your dog will come when you need him to.

First Things First

If you have ever found yourself saying the words “Every time I take my dog’s leash off he runs away” you must first change your behavior so that you are not repeatedly allowing your dog to practice running away.  In other words, you need to stop taking the leash off.  Your dog is rewarded for running away (and not coming when called) every time he is successful at it.

If you are not sure what your dog will do if you take the leash off, don’t test him.  Instead, follow the steps outlined in this article to teach your dog a reliable recall before it becomes an issue.  If your dog is a young puppy, don’t be fooled by his willingness to come when you call him and to stick close by.  This is typical juvenile behavior in puppies (don’t stray too far from the leaders) and usually changes as your puppy matures.

One other change you may need to make is to stop free feeding.  Dogs who are “free fed” (those that have food left out for them all the time) are much harder to train and less motivated by rewards.

The Long Line

Since you can’t effectively teach a reliable recall on a 6‘ leash you will need a long line. You can make these out of clothes line or rope tied to a bolt snap.  The length depends on you and your dog.  If your dog is very fast and you are not, start with 75-100’ of line and shorten it if needed. Tie knots at various spots on the line (every 6 feet or so) and also tie a large knot at the end.  If your dog is very fast you may need to add a shock absorber to the line or a snap to protect your dog’s neck from a sudden stop. Using the line with a harness will also prevent neck trauma.  Never attach the long line to a head collar such as a Gentle Leader.

The Recall Game

This game can be played with a number of people but for ease of explanation it will be described with two.  If you’re in the house you can play off leash.  If you are out and about have one person stand on the long line to prevent the dog from bolting.  It is best to start in an area that is uninteresting to the dog.  Person A and Person B will stand facing each other. The distance apart depends on the dog - if you’re pretty sure he’ll come, start at about 10’.  If you’re pretty sure he won’t start at 4’.  Person A calls the dog from Person B.  Click as the dog is coming and drop a treat between your feet.  Dropping the treat encourages your dog to come nice and close to the person calling.  Once the dog has eaten his treat from Person A, Person B will call him back, click for coming and drop the treat.  Repeat several times each session.  It is important that the person who is not calling ignore the dog while the dog is being called.  You will use your recall cue only once and will otherwise call the dog by saying “puppy, puppy”, clapping your hands or other informal cues.  This game can also be practiced with you alone by simply tossing treats away and calling your dog to you.

Real Life Recalls

Once your dog has mastered the recall game it is time to move on to the next step. Take your dog out in your yard with a long line attached but dragging.  You will now begin rewarding your dog for coming outside with only you.  Call your dog and every time he comes to you praise and treat him.  If he looks like he is about to run, first step on the leash and then call him.  Reward enthusiastically if he comes or reel him in if he does not.  As your dog gets good at this, gradually add distractions or go to a more distracting environment.  If you are unsure when to add distractions, stick with what professional behaviorists suggest - if your dog is right 80% of the time you can up the criteria.  This means your dog needs to come on the first command without hesitation 8 out of every 10 tries for you to add something new.

Remember that by allowing your dog to practice bad behaviors you are allowing him to be rewarded for them.  If your dog becomes so distracted that he will not come to you more then twice and you cannot get his attention remove him from the situation.  Go back to practicing in a less distracting environment. Often if your dog is not willing to pay attention or come in a certain environment or with a certain distraction it is because you have advanced too quickly.  Remember the 80% rule.  Take small steps - don’t expect your dog to go from doing backyard recalls to coming when called away from play at the dog park.