Dog recall training

It's good to start recall training as early as possible. But it’s never too late to begin, as dogs are keen learners throughout their lives. If your dog hasn’t yet had their vaccinations, then you can start by practicing in the garden or in your own home.

How to train your dog to come back to you

1. Decide on your recall cue

Decide what your recall cue will be. This is entirely up to you. It could be ‘come’, ‘here’ or you could use a whistle – the important thing is to keep it consistent. To avoid confusion, make sure everyone at home uses the same recall cue.  

2. Choose a recall reward

You now need to teach your dog that this cue predicts something amazing that you provide. This could be:

• tasty food
• your attention
• a fun, exciting game

As most dogs enjoy food, it’s easier to start the training with this. Prepare lots of tasty treats – tiny cubes of cheese, ham, sausage or chicken are best as most dogs will find these irresistible.

3. Attract your dog’s attention

Begin when you are very near your dog and there are no distractions.

Say their name

Say their name, followed by your chosen cue. If you are very enthusiastic and upbeat, with your body language open and inviting, this should be enough to attract your dog’s attention.

Praise them

When your dog comes up to you, praise them well, hold their collar gently, and give them several tasty treats. When you recall your dog, you’ll often need to hold their collar (eg to attach their lead or hold them as a jogger passes by). That’s why it’s useful to include holding their collar as part of the training sequence.

Repeat

Practice frequently throughout the day when they are near you – soon your dog will associate the sound of their recall cue with tasty food.

4. Change location and add distractions

Gradually extend your training to other areas of the house and when your dog is further away from you.

Add in minor distractions if your training is going well. For example, ask them to come when they are sniffing something interesting in the home or garden.

5. Vary the rewards

When your training is going well with food, begin to vary the rewards. For example, you can:

• have an exciting game of tug with your dog
• give bits of food one after the other
• give a larger handful of food than usual
• give lots of physical contact praise (if your dog enjoys this)

The idea is to make your dog feel excited to get to you when they hear their recall cue, as something very enjoyable will happen to them. Remember that, at some point, you’ll likely be in competition with other dogs, picnics or interesting smells. So building a very strong association early on will pay off when you’re out and about.

Don’t forget to hold their collar gently before rewarding them.

6. Test out the training on walks

Once you have a reliable recall in the home and garden, you can take your training out on walks while keeping your dog on the lead. Start in quiet areas first, building up to small distractions when your dog is ready.

You can give your dog a little more freedom to explore by using a longer lead or training line to practice the recall. Only use this equipment when you are well away from roads. Make sure your dog is wearing a harness if you use anything longer than a walking lead, as they may injure their necks otherwise. 

Tips for recall training

When training outside, always use your recall wisely

Unless your dog is in an unsafe situation, try to avoid calling them away from activities that are either essential or enjoyable (such as sniffing, exploring or playing with other dogs). Although it will be great practice eventually, these things will be hard for a young enthusiastic dog to come away from, especially when they have only started the training.

Avoid calling continuously  

If your dog does not come back to you the first time, it’s an indication that more training is needed in this situation. To do this, just go back to the point at which your dog was coming back to you reliably.  

Don't tell them off

Avoid telling your dog off if they don’t come back quickly enough or you have to ‘collect’ them from whatever they are up to – this will only make your dog avoid approaching you in the future. Simply go back to basics to refresh your training.

Will I always have to reward my dog with treats?

This depends on your dog. Some dogs need little motivation to come back to their owner than others. This is often down to breed type. Dogs bred to work closely with people (such as gundogs or herding types) seem to keep more of an eye on their owners out and about. Whereas dogs bred to be more independent (such as terriers or hounds) tend to be more interested in the sounds and smells of the environment.  

For dogs who are easily distracted, regularly rewarding a recall may be needed to keep their response sharp. For others, every now and then may be enough. Given how important a recall is, it’s good practice to keep up this training regularly and give all dogs something special when they come back to you.  

Remember that the sound must predict good things, so if you only ever use it to put your dog back on their lead, they will quickly learn that this signals the end of free time. You can avoid this by calling your dog to you for a fun game or feeding them every now and again during your walk.