One of the biggest reasons dogs don't come when called is because we tend to call them away from things they want to do. I'm going to share with you one of the biggest dog trainer secrets to getting a SOLID recall cue.

If you're leaving the dog park, what do you do? You call them. If you want them to come in from playing outside, what do you do? I'm betting.. you call them. If you need your dog to leave something alone, you guessed it, most people call their dog.

As dog owners, we need to be able to call our dogs at all of these moments and trust that they will be able to come when called even when they want to do something else. However, the more we call them away from things they like to do, the more likely they are to ignore your recall. That's why I have this secret technique to help your dog LOVE to come to you no matter the distraction.

The Premack Principle: a principle of reinforcement which states that an opportunity to engage in more probable behaviors (or activities) will reinforce less probable behaviors (or activities).

Okay you're probably thinking, um what? What on earth does that mean and WHY do I need to know this or care about it. Well.. think about it this way. If you are going to let your dog go outside, using the premark principle would look like having your dog sit before going outside. This isn't about rules or boundaries, it simply increases the likelihood of your dog sitting because going outside reinforces the sit.

Another example people frequently use for the premark principle is "eat your veggies before dessert".

I like to bring up the Premark Principle when working on recall because I don't think people utilize it enough. If your dog wants to go explore, rather than just letting them off leash, try asking for their attention and then letting them go explore. This will make them more likely to check in with you more often.

I have a somewhat revised version of this to specifically help with recall training.

I have the dog on a leash (as they improve you can use a long leash, let them drag the long leash, and then eventually off leash) and if the dog is interested in something to sniff, I do not let them go up to it. I pause and ask the dog to come over to me. Once the dog comes, I praise and reward the dog with a treat AND then release the dog to go sniff right after with a "Okay go sniff!" cue.

This same routine applies to being at the dog park. If my dog wants to go say hello to another dog, I will ask for either their attention or for them to come to me, reward them with a treat when they do, and then release them to go say hi to the dog.

Now the classic question is: "what if my dog doesn't come?"

This is a tell tale sign that you need to practice this a little bit more, use higher value treats, or not give your dog as hard of a distraction. However, dogs are still dogs and won't be perfect because they're not robots!

So if your dog does not come, if they are still on their leash, use the leash to help them out a little and move backwards away from them. As soon as they even turn towards you for a second, lots of praise and rewards. Once you've rewarded them, try and release them to go do what they wanted to in the first place.

*Make sure when releasing them that it doesn't become expected every single time. You want to randomly release them to go see what they wanted after recalling them. If you release them too often, they might start coming and then running away right after!

This may sound like a confusing process, but that's why I have a video! So be sure to watch the video of my technique in action.

I want to see you guys trying this out with all sorts of distractions. Keep your sessions short and simple and don't forget to have fun with it!