Dogs are always learning, throughout their lives.
This is why we can teach older dogs new things – but it also means dogs can ‘unlearn’ things we thought they knew.
I’m a dog trainer.. but my dog forgot her recall.
My rescue dog Quiz turned 1 and it felt like, suddenly, my dog who would always sprint back to me when I called her, was ignoring me. She had her nose buried in a bush instead. We had practised recall so much as she was growing up and I was so embarrassed that she now acted like a completely untrained dog.
To a teenage dog, the world is full of exciting new things.
I knew this was a normal part of owning teenage dogs, but it didn’t make me feel any less frustrated.
Here’s what I did to get her recall back.
Go back to basics.
- Rebuild your dog’s recall foundations with fun, easy training games.
- Keep sessions short, and make sure your dog is running back to you with joy.
Don’t let the environment win.
- They might find something out and about that is so much better than what you can carry in a treat pouch – half a sandwich, a fun dog to play with, or scent trails of prey animals.
- If your dog hasn’t had practice with ‘leave-it’ and focusing on you around these amazing distractions in the environment – keep them on lead for now!
Don’t take good behaviour for granted.
- When we think our dog knows something, we tend to stop rewarding them over time. Keep giving your dog really good rewards for recalling away from anything that interests them.
- Surprise rewards of new food or a favourite toy are extra effective and can make your dog’s recall really strong.
These tips are really general, and your dog is a unique individual. If any of these steps aren’t working to teach (or re-teach) your dog to come back when you call, message me and I’d be happy to help. 🙂
This is how Quiz’s recall looks now after a month or two of training: