Fun and Focus Level 2 - Week 6
RECALLING AWAY FROM DISTRACTIONS
The Hardest Type of Recall
For most dogs, the hardest type of recall is when you call your dog away from a distraction that they’re already engaged in. This is the reason that we start out by introducing distractions in the middle of a recall; it’s easier for most dogs to ignore a reinforcer they don’t have, rather than give up something they’re already enjoying.
For this reason, you shouldn’t try to recall your dog away from distractions until you’ve put in plenty of training time working on distractions that pop up mid-recall. Attempting to call your dog away from distractions too early in the process will backfire, and set your training backwards.
As usual, slow and steady is the way to go! For these exercises, you will need a helper, or some way of preventing your dog from accessing the distraction, like a play pen or long lead.
Step 1: Place your helper or other distraction out of reach of your dog, either behind a barrier or out of leash range. Stand behind your dog, no more than a metre or two away at first.
Step 2: When your dog is looking at the distraction, call their name. When they turn to look at you, give their recall cue and reward heavily when they come.
Your distraction should be distracting enough that your dog looks at it, but not so hard that they can’t respond to their name. If your dog is on leash, be extra careful not to pull on the leash to prompt them to come away from the distraction.
There are two factors that we need to work on gradually - your distance from the dog, and how difficult the distraction is. Remember that it’s best to work on them separately; you shouldn’t step further back from your dog and make the distraction harder on the same repetition. Work on slowly increasing the distance with low distractions, then on gradually higher distractions from the same distance, then put them together and work on higher distractions from a greater distance.
Your regular rules for recalls will still apply; don’t call them to come if you don’t think they’ll be able to do it. If they do fail a recall, you can either cheer them on and save it, or switch to settle. Watch your dog carefully and adjust the difficulty as needed - it should be challenging but not impossible.
