Recall means to come when called. It is one of the most important things your dog should know.

A reliable recall is but one of the important things every dog should know. The others are leave, have bite inhibition, eye contact, a relaxed down-stay and an emergency sit.

But lets start with the come command. Why are dogs so eager to go to the dog park? Because they can socially connect and have fun. Wouldn’t it be great if they could do that with you?

If your dog blows you off and finds the environment more enticing than you, you have a relationship problem. All the recall training in the world is only going to be a Band-Aid solution. Having said that, here are few pointers that help to get a reliable recall, and mistakes that will surely spoil it.

Never punish a dog when he comes; always acknowledge and reward regardless if you called him or not.

Play come games, such as the “circle call the dog” game. The fun recall game is just one game you can play with your dog. Engage in chase games where your dog chases you.

Never call your dog to come if you can’t enforce it. Manage with a long leash, but avoid reeling your dog in as much as possible. Instead, step on the leash to prevent the pooch from going where he wants to, wait until he gets bored, looks at you and (hopefully) comes when you call with an upbeat voice.

Call your dog often and release back to fun. Build on success. If your dog won’t come in the yard or house, where there are no distractions, she will certainly not come when called while chasing a rabbit. When off-leash, change directions often or hide so your dog learns to watch out for you. I hardly ever recall my dogs; they stay attentive to me and follow wherever I go.

Don’t call your dog and do something bad – at least very rarely. Bad is: clipping nails, being crated, leaving the dog park. Don’t always go to the dog either, or your dog will shy away from you. Call your dog, fuss him up, play, and then do the bad thing. The same when you go to your dog.


Bite inhibition – is as important as a reliable recall. It means that the dog has mouth control. A dog who has learned inhibition reliably will not be dangerous. Teach your dog by releasing treats only when she has a soft mouth; when you only feel tongue – not teeth. Encourage your dog to lick your hands after you de-boned a chicken. Teach targeting, so that touching with a closed mouth becomes a habit.

Correct a puppy when he is too mouthy. Don’t yelp, but withhold all attention.

Don’t encourage any rough mouth games such as tug.


Leave – for my dogs means to not look, listen, sniff or focus at whatever caught their interest, and check back with me instead. The first step to teach that is by standing on your dog’s lead, in the house, and throw a treat out far enough that the dog can’t get it. Command "leave", withhold all attention, and reward as soon as dog makes eye contact. Alternate rewards. Generalize with different things and at different places. Raise the bar as the dog gets better.

Eye contact – encourage and reward if your dog offers eye contact. Acknowledge it every time. Ask for that connection before your dog gets what he wants. Pay attention to true connection, rather than an automated quick glimpse. Voluntary, prolonged eye contact is a sign of a deep attachment and connection. A fearful dog should learn to accept eye contact before she learns to accept touch. Never ignore or punish offered eye contact. Don’t engage in a confrontational stare down.


Down Stay – the dog should be relaxed on one hip and calm. Begin to teach duration by staying close to your dog, rewarding, but not releasing, periodically. Once your dog can hold a two-minute stay without being reminded or rewarded, begin to increase the distance. Then add distractions, and when you begin to do that, decrease the distance again. The training rule is to make something easier when something else becomes more difficult. Once your dog responds reliably in each segment, put them together and you have a solid, relaxed down stay around distractions, even if you walk away a few steps.

Reward and cue every time the dog is already in a relaxed down. Don’t call your dog when you work on a down stay, but reward while she is still in position.

When your dog loses focus, shifts or becomes restless, he likely will break any moment. Catch it before he does, praise, reward and release. A down position is more important than a sit, especially for the unfocused dog with little self-control.

A reliable recall, leave command and bite inhibition are important to keep your dog out of trouble. But there is much more you can teach your dog. Learning things keeps the cobwebs out of your and your dog’s brain, strengthens the bond, builds leadership and best of all, you both have fun while learning and interacting together.