Today’s topic is Long Line Recalls – Come All The Way Back. I’ve been talking about recalls quite a bit more lately. It’s just amazing to me that sometimes you can be training something for quite a while, and then you see new connections that maybe you didn’t see before.
Come When Called
Let me go over the basics again to come when called. It’s good for your dog to turn around and come back when you give them the command. And I feel you should spend quite a bit of time doing that. The second part is that your dog should also know that when you give them the command to come, you can make them turn around and come all the way back.
I feel that people should spend a considerable amount of time doing those two things for the dog. I don’t think you should ever stop rewarding your dog for turning around and coming back when you call them. You need to go through a process of at least six weeks to three months of training. Where you’re actively seeking out distractions, and you’re using a long line to make your dog come.
I recently shared another blog article that your dog should turn around and come back and get rewarded. Some of those repetitions should include when your dog gets to you, grab their collar, pull them in closer, and feed them. Today, when I was working on the long line, I thought, I’d get the dogs to do the same thing. But on the long line.
Reeling Them In
So we had a dog out on a long line. And then, at that point, we said the dog’s name, and we said: “come.” We then began to reel the dog back in. When the dog got back to us in one of two positions, my client would reward their dog. And then we let the dog back out again, and we did the same thing. They were out at the end of a 15-foot long line, and we would call them as we reeled them with the long line. They’d come all the way back to us, and they would either go into the front, or they would go to heel.
The leash would be tight, and we would make rewards. I know that sounds simple, and it seemed that the part that I might have missed is making the dog come back and get into that front or heel position. So that way, we could then connect the rewards that we had been doing a few weeks ago.
Two Positions
The dog would have a better understanding that they should come. Now, a couple of other things that I did ask my clients to do this evening is to call the dog. And instead of the dog going into the front or heel position, the dog would come and sit either in front or on the left.
Sometimes what we would do is we would call the dog back. And instead of making them do either one of those two positions, we would go right into a loose leash walking drill with a dog. The dog would understand that they’re going to get called, and then we’re going to go and start walking.
So those might be some things that are useful for you. I guess here’s what I’m trying to share with you today. Let me say it as briefly as I possibly can. When your dogs are out, and you’re using a long line, call them, use the leash to begin to reel the dog in. Continue to use the leash as the dog gets to you. And then, as they get to you, use your leash and training collar to either have the dog sit directly in front or sit on the left. Once the dog has done that, it is a good time to reward your dog very well.
So that way they can see that. Yes, even though we’re making you come back, there’s still a very nice reward for doing so.
I hope this was helpful. Remember, you can always visit my YouTube Channel for helpful tips or find more information like this right here at www.longoriahausdogtraining.com.
Happy Training!
