Recall Part 2: Yelling into the Ether?
Making your recall reliable
So, we’ve learned all about why the average dog’s recall has a lot of inconsistencies. We learnt that how and when and why we use their name in other facets of their life has a major impact on how they respond to recall. Understanding that dogs will think whatever happens most often after or why they are recalled- such as punishment or the fun being over is what they will believe happens every time. The most common consequence or definition associated with each action or cue is what they believe.
A common mistake in recall is believing that there is only one type of recall and it is to be used and followed the same every single time. Unfortunately, the way dogs brains work and the inconsistencies in ourselves that we can often not predict, result in us needing to compartmentalize and categorize your recall situations. The most common recalls used and taught are; getting their general attention (look at you, saunter over), recall from distances and outside to reach your hands, and finally- and most importantly- the emergency recall.
With each type of recall- there is often a varying type of responses that are desired from it. With general attention- you are seeking them to often just look at you and not rush over to you running as fast as they can. However, with emergency recall- the desired behaviour is for them to run to you instantly so you can get them to safety. Because of this, the dogs need to be taught these cues separately and differently.
When teaching emergency recall- you are striving for the goal for your dog to immediately halt what they are doing and excitedly run to you undistracted. You do not want to have to repeat it each time and you want your dog to want to reach you as fast as possible. Now, we can’t exactly expect our dog to know when the danger is present- but we can make them understand with a cue or word that they need to get to you fast. But, how do we create that desire to reach you as fast as possible- despite the exciting thing they may be already doing?
We need to build association with that emergency recall cue.
When deciding what to use for a cue for emergency recall- it needs to have a few things; it is only heard for emergency recall or emergency recall training, it is something that is clear, simple, and short. A common one I recommend is, “[dog’s name here], HUSTLE!”. Once you have decided what your cue is, we can begin pairing it and charging it with all good things and begin working through the “Three D’s of Difficulty”.
The three D’s of difficulty is your foundation to learning and mastering any behaviour or skill you would like to train with your dog. They are how we increase difficulty and skill level, understand our dog’s limits with each skill set. The three D’s are; Distance (how far, how close to you, distraction, reward, etc.), Duration (how long, how short, how many times), and Distraction (anything added to the situation; outside, people moving, food added, animals present, etc.) All three of these can work together and separately in increasing the solidity of your skill.
Starting at the beginning is the biggest thing. We can’t expect too much from our dogs and then leave both of you frustrated because of unrealistic expectations. So we start small figure out a level one to start with- AFTER- we have charged the cue, as explained in the previous blog- to mean getting reward and attention. This is a tad different with emergency recall than it is with other cues like their name. We also want to pair the cue with the desired action you want your dog to do. Now, the desired action for the emergency recall is not just coming to your body- you actually need to hold onto your dog, so to get them to safety so they don’t run away again.
So we begin with the one, one, one stage. The dog is one foot away, you have a maximum of one distraction (quiet room with just you and dog), say the command, and you hold your dog for one second BEFORE rewarding and releasing. The importance of rewarding after the hold is finished is because we are molding the complete action of the desired skill at the beginning level. Releasing is also important to practice as it; lets your dog know the desired skill is completed, they get to return to what they are doing and it builds trust in understanding when and what you want from them. This can be done by using a release cue, such as; “Free!”, and you dramatically let them go and then disengage with them.
We can then build up on that using the three D’s of difficulty once the success rate of the previous level is 95% successful. We will only add from one of the three D’s at a time. So, if you are going from the one, one, one, stage- we can increase the difficulty by increasing distance to 2 feet away or increase duration to be 2 seconds holding dog before reward. As they start to succeed and excel- always match the desired action being accomplished with proper rewarding.
Rewarding and reinforcement needs to match what the desired skill that we are teaching our dogs. This means that for emergency recall- if the goal is for the dog to stop whatever they are doing (no matter how exciting it may be like playing with another dog)- the reward they would need to know they are receiving 90% of the time, would need to be TOP NOTCH. I mean, whatever is crack to your dog such as cheese, chicken breast, a special treat they get rarely, etc- is what we will pair with training and hopefully practice for the majority of use.
Remember what we learned, if they don’t believe there is enough benefit- especially at the beginning of training this skill to listen to you- the skill will become inconsistent. Eventually, these skills begin to morph into the best communicative relationship with your pet- that they will want to please and listen to you because they understand what is expected and they will be rewarded accordingly.
This reward and this type of consistent training should not be underappreciated in this journey you are embarking on with your pet. What I see most common is something that I have been guilty of as well. The scenario goes like this; your dog is running around you, refusing to come inside or come to you- believing it to be a game, and we are practically begging them to come in. What do we often do then? Lie and say we have a treat in our hand and even go as far as miming it in front of them. It seems like a good idea at the time but what it really is doing is breaking down communication and trust in your relationship with your dog. The dog will start to have trust issues in recall- that even if they follow through and listen, they won’t get what they want or what was promised.
I know that after asking for recall for longer than 2 minutes, and the dog is still not coming, leaves you wanting to just scold them. This is a trust-building exercise for both you and your dog. Take a deep breath, this short-term pain and frustration is worth the long-term gain - I promise you! Have patience with yourself and your dog and you’ll have fantistic recall in no time!