What does a Recall or Come look like with my own dogs? You can see it here in this video.

If you've done any group classes with me, especially Puppy Preschool or Basic Training, you've heard me talk in detail about how to teach a reliable COME or RECALL.

The first key is to have a very clear expectation. What SHOULD it look like when you same come to your dog? In detail. Can you describe it? (Hint: if you use the word “come” at all in your expectation then you are NOT clearly describing what you expect!)

I decided to have Ed videotape a couple of recalls with Zooka and Blitzen out on one of our walks. Let's see if they meet my expectations.

The video posted her contains two recalls. The first one, it takes a bit before they show up in the video. That's not because they were slow to react. That's because they were way up at the top of our hill and I was down near the bottom. They had a bit of ground to cover.

But at the speed with which they enter the screen, you can see how fast they are moving! So fast, actually, that they shoot past me and have to turn around and return to me.

You will also see a Black Lab mix with me. That's Ash, she boards with us regularly and joins us on some of our walks. She was already hanging out with me so she was already there when I called the boys to come.

You can see that I give out SEVERAL treats to each dog once they arrive. I want them to get there fast AND stick around once they are there. And with the amount that I pay, they are pretty good at it.

Now, you might notice in the first video that Blitzen then moves away before I released him. Normally, it's not an issue, but this time he went over to Ed (who was working the camera) after he got his treats from me. So while he should have stuck with me until he got released, he didn't run off anywhere. He stuck with us, just not directly with me.

In the second recall, you will see they show up faster because they were not as far away. This time they were just around the corner behind the scrub oak and out of my sight. But they came racing back right away. This time, they both stuck around until I released them to continue on the walk.

I do NOT require them to Sit when they come to me. As long as they are close enough to get hold of them in the event I would need to leash them up, I do not care if they sit or not.

They did a pretty good job on this day. We keep practicing. But we don't overdo it. I literally practiced it TWO times on that walk. Both of those are in this video. In a walk that lasts 45-60 minutes usually, I do not ask for it more than a couple of times. Sometimes not at all.

Because my boys check in with me on their own quite regularly, I do not practice it a ton. Nor do I get much chance since they check in so often without me having to ask for it!