Should I Stay or Should I Go? Perfecting the Recall Part 1: The Ending

In the more than 35 years that we’ve been training dogs professionally, we’ve seen all breeds, shapes and sizes learn how to come when they are called. Getting a good response to the come command isn’t the difficult part when it’s taught in a positive fashion.

Dogs learn to love responding to come because it means play, praise and chase. The real challenge we see is in the ending of the recall. The part where the running and fun ends and the dog has to relinquish control to the handler is usually the tricky part.

The good news is that this is an easy problem to solve with the right tools and information. With a portion of each recall training session dedicated to the ending, your dog will learn to love getting to you and getting a leash clipped on.

Here’s how…

First, you’ll actually want to break down your recall into parts. Every recall has a beginning, a middle and an ending.

Beginning — can your dog turn off of any distraction?

Middle — can your dog run to you without getting off track?

Ending — can your dog stop at you and will they remain long enough for you to take control? Can you clip on a leash?