Episode 1: Developing A Reliable Off-Leash Recall

Today I’m taking my dogs on an off-lead walk. It’s a beautiful autumnal day here in North Carolina. As you can see, many of the leaves have already come off the trees and are scattered across the path, so I apologize for some of the ambient noise.

Now that the weather is cooling off, a lot more people will want to get outside and take their dogs on walks. Off-lead walks are one of the best forms of enrichment you can offer your dogs. They get to run, forage, hunt, and simply be dogs, which is something they don’t always get to do in day-to-day life.

With that said, it’s incredibly important that if you’re taking your dogs off-lead, or even just letting them roam in your yard, that they have a solid recall. Today I’m going to talk about why it’s so important to train your dog to recall when they’re distracted.

When most people teach recall, they start in a stationary position where the dog’s attention is already on them. Sit-stay, down-stay, the dog staring right at the handler. Those recalls look great and can be useful in competitions. But dogs are contextual learners, and in real-life situations, their attention usually won’t be on you. They’ll be running, sniffing, or investigating something far away.

The problem is that if you only train recall when the dog is already focused on you, they often won’t come back when something more interesting is competing for their attention. This leaves many owners confused. They say things like, “My dog can do a perfect recall from a down-stay across a football field.” That is great, but when a deer or a squirrel appears and the dog is facing away from you, that same dog may not respond. It is frustrating, but predictable.

So let’s talk about how to train recall the right way.

If you know you’ll mostly need your dog to recall when they’re distracted or at a distance, that’s how you should practice. Always train for real life. The way I typically start is with the dog on a leash or long line, letting them sniff something mildly interesting. It should be engaging enough to draw their attention, but not so fascinating that you can’t compete with it.

Say their name. When they turn their head toward you, call them back. In the beginning, you want recall to be the most exciting thing in the world. Do not constantly call them only to end the fun by bringing them inside. That creates a negative association, and some dogs will even run away to avoid being leashed.

Instead, call them while they’re sniffing, reward them with a treat or reinforcer, and then release them back to what they were doing. Recall should be fun, not a punishment or a signal that the fun is over.

My dogs are running around off-lead right now with no tools on them. They’re checking in frequently. I’ll wait until they run farther ahead and show you how this works. They’re going around a corner where they can’t see me. I call them, and they come right back. I’ve used this technique even when wild animals are present. Anyone with herding dogs knows this can be a challenge. They love chasing movement. But when you’ve conditioned them well, they’ll return no matter what is going on.

If you train them consistently to redirect their attention, and you make the experience positive, they will come back. Always think about what you’re actually teaching your dog.

“Come.” Good girl.

If I were working with dogs who were newer to off-lead work or didn’t have a strong learning history with distracted recalls, I would reinforce them heavily. But these dogs know the drill. They’re seasoned!