Dog owners are making a simple mistake that ‘ruins’ their pet’s recall

You could be making a mistake that stops your dog from listening to you.

When you’re out on a walk with your dog and you let them off their leash, you likely know the importance of having a recall command that tells your pet you want them to come back to you.

This command is vital for your dog’s safety. It can help them stay away from other dogs that might be aggressive, prevent them from wandering off too far, and from getting into danger with fast-moving rivers or other tricky terrain.

But teaching your dog to come back to you on command isn’t always easy. Dogs are naturally curious creatures, and it’s easy for them to get distracted by the world around them.

One dog trainer, however, has said online there’s a simple way to make your recall command more effective.

In a TikTok video shared by Listen Dog Training, a trainer claimed there’s a common mistake people make when recalling their dog that makes the command less effective.

She explained that repeating the call over and over again every time they wander a little too far can make your dog think that there’s nothing wrong. Instead, the call should be reserved for the most severe of situations.

The expert said: “I cannot stress this enough. If you call your dog back constantly, that cue is going to lose its value. It’s so important to remember that when we train a recall cue, what we’re teaching our dog is that this special sound the human makes is a super valuable experience that is always worth their time.

“If we take them out into an exciting environment and we are constantly nagging them back to us with that cue, it’s going to lose all its value. They’ll learn that actually, it’s not always the most valuable thing, because we’re pitting it up against all manner of really exciting sights, smells, and experiences.

“So if it’s safe, just let your dog go and explore. Don’t try and compete with every sniff and sound. Save the cue for moments that really matter, so your dog knows it’s important.”

One commenter on the expert’s post said his three-year-old dog gets so excited on walks that he refuses to pay attention to his owners, and walking him has become a “nightmare”.

The expert recommended: “Situations like this call for working on the problem from the ground up – focus and engagement work at home, proofing things gradually, building up slowly. Also, know that this doesn’t represent the next 10 years – it’s a wild time for them developmentally, and totally ignoring you or being wildly distracted is a common side effect!”

How to train a dog to recall

According to Dog’s Trust, the most important thing to remember when teaching your dog to come back to you when called is that you need your dog to know that coming back is a good thing. Whether it’s encouraging them with treats or pets, they need to want to come back to you, or else they’ll likely just ignore you.

They recommended following these steps to teach your dog recall:

1. Teach your dog to respond to its name before adding recall: Your dog needs to respond to its name first, as this makes it easy to grab their attention if you need it. You can then add your recall cue, which should be something short and snappy like “come,” “here,” or a short whistle. Adding a visual cue, like holding your arms open wide, can be beneficial in case your dog cannot hear you.
2. Always reward your dog when it comes back: Your dog needs to know that coming back is a good thing, so reward them with a treat when they follow your command. Always praise your dog for returning, no matter how long it takes. As your dog improves, you won’t need to give them a treat every time they come back. But remember to reward them every so often to keep them motivated.
3. Add in some distractions and increase the length of the recall distance: Once your dog is successfully coming back when called in the house or garden, start practising in larger spaces with more distractions. Reward them with high-value treats when they return without extra guidance from you, so they build up a positive association with coming when called.