Recall case study
Buzz had a great recall until he spotted another dog and then it was as if he went ‘deaf’, which may sound familiar to anyone who has had a teenage dog. Trying to get him back was very tricky.
Like many life skills, recall can take a while to get right, and no recall is 100% effective all of the time which is why it is important to put in the hard work in as early as possible and realise that you need to build up the levels of distraction in controlled environments to set your dog up for success. Buzz’s owners did just this over a series of sessions with me. We started in confined, low distraction areas with a stuffed dog and moved on to public areas with a stooge dog and then dog visitors, applying all the techniques and methods we had been practicing in the intervening weeks.
This was Buzz, when I met up with him and his committed, hardworking, owners 6 weeks after our sessions ended. Buzz has been on a long line and managed well, he is now at the stage where, in well chosen spaces, the long line can be dropped or removed, taking his recall to the next level.
Need help with your dog's recall?
We advise owners who would like help with recall, to commit to 3 consecutive weekly sessions. This allows us to work on the foundations of your recall skills and for both you and your dog to apply the skills with support on hand.