The Weekly High Five 🐾

Hey Reader,
​
Let's be real. Spring is here and you're about to spend a lot more time outside with your dog.

Longer walks. Off-leash moments in the yard. Maybe a park visit. And right about now, a lot of families are realizing their recall isn't as solid as they thought.

They call their dog. The dog hears them. And... does nothing.

So they call again. "Come. Come. COME." And eventually, the dog wanders over.

Here's the deal. This isn't a willingness problem. Your dog isn't blowing you off. They've essentially been trained to wait.

Not on purpose. But every time you called them to clip the leash on and leave the park, to come in from the yard when the fun was over, to stop playing and get their nails done, you were building an association. "Come" = good things end.

Your dog has a great memory. And right now, their memory of "come" is working against you.

This is the thing most people get completely backwards. They assume recall fails because the dog isn't listening hard enough. But the dog is listening perfectly. They've just learned that "come" is often the beginning of something not-so-fun.

The fix isn't repeating the cue louder or more often. It's changing what the word means.

So here's one thing to try this week.

For the next few days, only call your dog when you can make it worth their while. Not to end playtime. Not to come inside. Call them from across the room for a piece of cheese. Call them in from the yard and then let them go right back out.

That's it. Just a few short sessions where "come" means something great happens and then the fun continues.

You're not trying to build a perfect recall in five days. You're trying to give the word back its value. And you'll probably be surprised how fast your dog's response changes when the equation shifts.

That's just one piece of the puzzle though. I put together a free 5 Rules of Recall guide that covers the full foundation, including what to do when your dog doesn't come and how to make sure every recall counts.

If you already have it, now's a great time to pull it back up. If you haven't grabbed it yet, here you go.

​Get the 5 Rules of Recall Guide →​

You got this.

Happy training,

Pam,
CPDT-KA