The value of really good recal...

[alligande]

I have never had to use my recal in a life threatening situation before, but on Friday it was put to the test and the incident left me thinking about how glad I am that my young dog has been trained to come back when I call his name.

 

We very sadly lost our older dog who was only 8, and we were coming back from burying him in the woods and needless to say all three of us humans and dog were emotionally fraught , I checked for traffic but missed the speeding car coming through ( not a road) and I had released him to cross to the truck. There was no thought involved in my screaming his name just adrenaline induced panic, and the response was everything I could have wanted a whiplash return straight into my arms. My husband described it as if he was on a bungy cord attached to me.

 

He is the only dog who I have trained to come back to his name, the others have all turned their heads and responded but you had to add the command. I really only did it because of agility and top end trainers recommending that you should have a true whiplash recal. I don't want to think about what would have happened if I had to call come because it would never have made it out.

[gcv-border]

I am glad to hear that he is safe. Your story is a good example of the importance of a good recall.

 

Jovi

[Howling Farmer]

Phew.

 

I had a similar experience, but it wasn't such a close call. I was walking Tucker downtown near a busy street on a Gentle Leader. He was about seven months old. Suddenly, there he was, walking about ten feet ahead of me, completely off leash. I don't know how, but somehow the Gentle Leader had come unattached from the leash. Without even thinking, I called out "Tucker!" And without even thinking, he whipped around and came back to me. Boy was I grateful I'd done whiplash turn training. He was also the first dog I've trained to whip around back to me at the sound of his name and I will always teach it from now on. "Come" just doesn't come as readily out of my mouth in an emergency.

 

Leslie

[waffles]

Isn't that the best feeling though, having your dog heading away from you and turning on a dime to run back?

I have rarely had to use Levi's recall word in a real situation (whether in harms way or not I typically am practicing it when we use it) but just a couple of weeks ago I had to call him when we were heading back to the house. We had heard some gun shots so I think he was a little on edge but continued to play/ walk just fine. As we were heading in, I thought he was trotting to get his jolly ball but kept on going, heading towards our road. I had no clue and still don't as to where he was going but I called him and he whipped around and came bolting to me. Also glad we practice grabbing his collar because he wanted to go back to wherever he was going and I leashed him up. I was shaken after but felt great pride that my boys training had paid off. Now, I leash him up right away even if we only hear distant gun shots and he appears fine. We also plan on putting some fencing along the front/ side of the house in the spring. You really never know when a situation like those will happen and even with great training they can still choose to not listen. It pushes me to continue to train recalls.

[Liz P]

So sorry to hear about your older dog. I can imagine how numb you must be feeling.

 

A good recall is key. I used "here" because I train my dogs on stock (come bye is a herding command). I do not want them to come when I call their name, unless I say their name then add a recall command. I do expect all my dogs to come to me when I say "here."

 

A trainer once made a very good point though about the recall command being the most important. She said that a down command was also key. She gave the example of a dog that runs across a busy road. Do you want to recall that dog and have it run back across that road, or to lie down and stay put until you can get to it? If I say "down" I expect my dogs to drop like a rock. It could save their lives some day.

[waffles]

I was just going to add that we have taught a down after a recall or down in motion. I haven't practiced it in forever but the one time Levi chased a chicken and tried to grab her, we yelled down while he was in pursuit of it and he dropped like a rock which let the chicken get away.

 

We also use "here" usually with his name first as his recall word. It is sharper and easier for me to say and we are less likely to say it in other contexts. We found ourselves casually saying come on when we just wanted him to move faster or stop sniffing something while off leash.

[Sue R]

I use a recall word ("here" because "come" is a working command) along with the name. Using the name by itself is more of a "reminder" - to think, to hesitate, to remember what I've already told him to do, to be ready to pay attention to me, to draw him slightly in my direction (before giving a flank, for instance).

 

We get too casual here on the farm sometimes...

[juliepoudrier]

I use recalls situationally: here, come here, that'll do, or the dog's name (yeah, I know I preach consistency in training, lol). I suspect that in a panic situation the dog will react as much to the panic in your voice as to the command/name given. In a panic situation I am also more likely to use the dog's name, and I expect an immediate response, but when my dog is working stock and I use its name, I also expect it to understand the context and the nuance that the name calling means in that situation.

 

The reaction to tone is one reason I've always cringed at people who command their dogs at high volume, no matter what. If there truly were a panic situation, the dog is more likely to tune the person out because it's used to hearing yelling all the time or at least react more slowly, not to mention that the change in register may be only minimal compared to someone who usually speaks in a normal voice to the dog and then raises her/his voice in a panic situation.

 

J.

[waffles]

The reaction to tone is one reason I've always cringed at people who command their dogs at high volume, no matter what. If there truly were a panic situation, the dog is more likely to tune the person out because it's used to hearing yelling all the time or at least react more slowly, not to mention that the change in register may be only minimal compared to someone who usually speaks in a normal voice to the dog and then raises her/his voice in a panic situation.

 

J.

I agree completely. I never use a negative or mean tone or raise my voice to my dog. I think the time my boyfriend yelled 'down' when Levi was chasing the chicken was more about the loud booming voice he used. Sure, we taught him to down in motion but I think his immediate response had more to do with the tone since we hadn't asked/train him to do that behavior in a very long time. I want my panic/loud voice to mean something to my dog plus I find it so annoying/uncomfortable to listen to others 'yell' or 'scream' at their dogs in angry or just loud tones. That is what training is for.

[alligande]

I agree with the comments about the situation, I do not expect my dog to return to me everytime I say his name, in agility I use his name to get his attention so he knows where I am and what is happening next. When we are out walking I use his name as a recall, often with a hand signal, or a here, he will also respond to verbal clicking noises, which i really use just for attention purposes but it has the same effect as a recal.I have found though that I do not use "here" very often anymore, realistically I only use a recal in 2 situations, on walks and get back in the house. In agility I use close, not as a recal but as a be near me we are going by those obstacles command.

 

We also have a "flying" down that I taught like everyone as a safety measure, we do practice often when we are out on walks, it's a fun game we play and all our dogs have enjoyed the fun of the release and getting to charge back to us.

 

I think Julie is right the panic in my voice was huge and is what got his attention, I also very rairly raise my voice to my dogs. It has become a personal challenge to keep my voice very soft on an agility course, and in the woods I get a huge kick out of how soft I can either click with my voice or say his name, and watching the brakes being applied and the rapid return.

 

Holding him tight afterwards and thinking about what it would have been like to lose them both on the same day was truly horrifiing. My husband and I have never been "helicopter" dog owners and always taken a few more risks than some we know, relying instead on having good commands and well behaved dogs.... But being down to one dog even my husband is in protection mode.

[Smalahundur]

 

 

We get too casual here on the farm sometimes...

Have the same "problem". We live 3 kilometers from the "main" road, which has very little traffic. I have to remind myself often not to get too relaxed about this kind of training.

[geonni banner]

It's always been my idea that every dog, no matter where it lives, should have a rock-solid sit and a turn-on-a-dime recall. They are the first thing I teach. If you have both, your dog will be safe in 99.9% of all situations. Anything else (besides training for real work such as stock work, assistance dog work, drug-sniffing, Search and Rescue etc.) is just window-dressing - useful maybe, entertaining maybe, but sit and come will keep him/her safe. There is no excuse for not having both.

[diane allen]

In a previous life, I totally turned a dog off to both her name AND her recall. Sigh. She never got into a problem because of it, but talk about 24/7 management. Never wanted to do THAT again!

 

So my current boy has a great recall. BUT because I so often panicked with above-mentioned dog, and resulting loud angry command didn't work - I taught this boy that a very odd high-pitched, happy and loud use of his name also means COME NOW. It carries well when he's off leash and possibly out of sight (doesn't happen often). He's 6+ years old, but I sometimes still carry treats if he comes particularly fast. (Also cuz the youngster does NOT know this, but comes when he does, and gets mega-rewards!)

 

My last rescue girlie was quite sound sensitive. HER recall was excellent....except in a 'sound' situation. I didn't know this when we went on a 1.5 mile walk up to the rim of a canyon. We'd just gotten to the top when someone was duck hunting 1000' below us. She took off back down the trail, and I thought, OMG, I'll never catch her until she gets to the busy road below. (I suspect she would have gone to the car and hidden underneath....but yikes.) I ran down after her for awhile, and finally thought to give her a "DOWN!" - which, miraculously, was the only thing to penetrate her rattled brain.

 

All my dogs now have an instant down too!

 

It does take work, and reminders, and more work. But oh so worth it.

 

diane