Wordless Wednesday–Recall Edition
Rio demonstrating what a recall can look like if you work extremely hard, set your dog up for success, and reinforce your dog with the things they love most (Rio’s done lots of recalls for tennis ball throws, frisbee throws, chicken, meatballs, whipped cream, flirt pole, AND the opportunity to go back to what he wants).
I started using a whistle in the winter when I’m more bundled up and not as able to yell loudly and I really do love using the whistle!
I’ve been working Elli’s recall away from deer and elk tracks in the snow on a long-line. It proved to be a really difficult thing for her to decide to come back to me (off-leash, she would ignore and/or run the opposite direction, so I got the long line to ensure her safety) – the first few recalls were definitely big decisions and were rewarded HEAVILY. We did get five of five the other week and she’s right back to the turn-on-the-dime response I loved so long ago (without prey tracks). I’m pretty happy, eventually I hope to drop the line and then eliminate it altogether. Practice never ends, though, with a prey driven pup!
Exactly! Practice never ends… I practice as much as possible in high distraction areas to keep him in tip-top shape to recall from high value things like deer. I wish more people would utilize long lines with recall–there is a lot to be said about never letting a dog ignore your recall cue and having a long line to help reel them in if the pile of deer poop is more exciting than I am… PLUS the dogs have a much lower chance of getting lost because they run off after something. Keep working!