I was talking to a friend the other day about problems she has been experiencing with other owners allowing their dogs to run up to hers even though she has always kept them on-lead due to their dislike of some other dogs.  This brought back lots of memories of when my dog Harvey was younger and I encountered exactly the same problem.

Don’t Worry – My Dog’s Friendly

Many a time I would be out in the park with Harvey trying to keep him away from other dogs, when another dog would come bounding over.  The other owner often seemed unperturbed and would call out ‘don’t worry, my dog’s friendly’!  However to me it was not alright!  There I was trying to gradually familiarise Harvey to other dogs from a distance and one would come bouncing over to him!  On some occasions, if the other dog stopped before it reached us, Harvey would be alright.  However, most of the time he would give a warning growl and sometimes snap.  After all, how would we feel if someone we don’t know came running up to us unexpectedly?  I personally would either run away or put my arms out to push them away – either way, I wouldn’t feel comfortable!

One day he’ll learn his lesson!

Quite often the other owner’s response was ‘Oh that’ll teach him’; other times I would be shouted at and cursed at for having an aggressive dog!    Either way, as far as I was concerned it was upsetting and I was sure that unless his owners changed what they were doing, the other dog would continue to run up to other dogs whether they were on a lead or not.

How to teach your dog to Recall

Because of the way we communicate with our dogs, many of them feel that they are in charge and are trying to look after their owners when out on a walk or in the park.  They therefore pick and choose whether they return when called and are referred to as having ‘selective hearing’.   However, it is not that they are choosing not to hear, instead they are choosing not to respond – after all, they are ‘Top Dog’ so why should they do what you want all the time?!

How can you improve this?

By changing the way you interact with your dog on a daily basis he will gradually accept you as Leader and be willing to please you. 

• Start practicing recall in your house - we have introduced dogs to a Human World they do not understand so you need to train them at home where your dog is most comfortable and relaxed.
• Call your dog once, and if he returns to you immediately give him lots of praise (food reward can be used initially to reinforce how good he is).
• If you have to call your dog more than once do not praise him for returning – our dogs are very smart and if you reward him he will soon learn that it’s ok to come back on the 2^nd, 3^rd or even 4^th call (or more)!
• Once your dog has perfect recall in the house start practicing in the garden.
• Next start using a long line in the park – if he doesn’t come on the first call, draw him to you using the long line then replace with his ordinary lead and try again later.
• Continue practicing this until he recalls perfectly first time every time!

There is more to getting perfect recall than this – too much to go through in this blog – so if you are concerned about your dog’s recall and want to learn more about Canine Communication and help your dog live a happy relaxed life, call me on 07889 343383 or send me a message via the contact page.