Why and How to Change Your Dog’s Recall Word
Do you call your dog repeatedly, and they don’t listen? Do you feel silly when your dog is off-leash, and you’re yelling at them to come from across the park? Are you embarrassed when you call your dog, and they stare at you or don’t even acknowledge you talking to them?
If you thought, “that’s me!” time to change your dog’s recall word and start better training habits!
Why Your Dog Doesn’t Come to You When Called
We’ve all been there! When training our dogs, we often start bad habits when things go wrong. We repeat the cue, bribe the dog with treats, or get frustrated to the point where our dog doesn’t want to participate in training.
Your dog’s recall word is what we call a cue. A cue is an invitation to perform a behavior to earn reinforcement. We should give cues only once, your dog should perform the behavior, and you should provide reinforcement to your dog.
You need to provide more reinforcement. Part of what makes a cue effective is providing adequate reinforcement after the behavior. You should give more complex or challenging behaviors higher-value reinforcement! If you frequently recall your dog away from playtime, sniffing in the yard, or other fun activities and not offering ample reinforcement for your dog’s behavior, you’re weakening the cue. You’re making it less likely for your dog to respond next time.
You are repeating your dog’s recall cue. If you’re repeatedly asking your dog to come to you, saying the same word over and over, you’re weakening your cue! You're showing them the word is frequently used so they can respond when they want to, and the word doesn’t allow them to earn reinforcement.
You haven’t trained enough for real-life scenarios. You need distance, duration, distraction, and diversity. If your training sessions have been inconsistent, they might not understand what you’re asking your dog to do. You can learn more about generalizing HERE.
Pick a New Recall Word
A cue can be any word you want! We often pick words commonly used in dog training, like come, leave it, and more. If the word doesn’t sound like another cue your dog already knows, get creative! Some people pick a word that corresponds with their dog’s name, while others just like a term that isn’t in their everyday language.
Ideas for dog recall words:
Here
Boomerang
Howdy
Yahoo
Let’s Go
Aqui
Party time
Jackpot
Pronto
Tell us what word you use for your dog’s recall in the comments!
Teach Your Dog a New Recall Word
You will start with high-value food because this is a significant effort behavior. Even if your dog likes their everyday food and treats, amp it up with chicken, deli meat, cheese, or freeze-dried protein.
Say your word with your dog directly in front of you and immediately give them a piece of food. Keep moving one step away, saying the word, and delivering the food to your dog.
Gradually increase the distance between you and your dog by scattering some food on the ground so you can walk farther away.
Continue practicing at home, varying the distances and distractions before moving into different environments.
Tips for Maintaining Recall with Your New Word
Work with a trainer. They can offer feedback and tips to ensure your dog’s recall is spot on.
Read our comprehensive guide to recall post HERE.
Practice recall training sessions with high-value food.
Don’t move to real life too soon. Practice in training sessions until you can bet $100 your dog will come running when they hear their cue.
Don’t repeat the word. If your dog doesn't come towards you when you call them, you can lower to the ground, make some noises, or find another way to entice them.
Use management until your dog is reliably coming when called. Long lines, fenced-in spaces, and training sessions will set you up for success!
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