I think I know why recall is so hard to train...

On our way to put Bernice to bed in the shop one evening, we hear the coyotes yipping. They sounded closer than normal and based off Poppy and Garth’s behaviour, they seemed to agree.

Garth, our Akita/Elkhound cross is the one who helps keeps everybody “in line” at our place and this incident was no different. Poppy, our little brave lab/border collie, goes tearing after these coyotes with her hackles up ready to show them what’s up (at least until she would’ve got to the invisible fence) but Garth, equally puffed up and on high alert, didn’t sign off on that so he outruns her and tackles her down.

Poppy is the most sensitive dog at our place and Garth is like the screaming parent over reacting when their kid is about to get hurt. This take down lasts a second but Poppy is not impressed so she launches out of the snow and gives Garth a consequence for coming at her too forcefully. Garth handles her mood swing by just continuing to patrol the area we are in, keeping his important parts out of Poppy’s snapping jaws until she settles moments later.

This was my first ah-ha moment of what dogs can do when they do not want another to run away.

A couple days later, there are moose on the edge of our property. Enzo, the Mini Poodle of Doom, goes charging towards them to chase.  Garth was taking a different way and the moose left but Enzo was still chasing.

Then the most interesting thing happened…

Garth in all his problem-solving power, cut across the yard, full speed, towards Enzo.  He meets him on the path and gives Enzo a quick grab with his mouth using just enough pressure to stop Enzo.  Poodle stops and sits and Garth starts to walk back towards the house. Satisfied. Well, Enzo and his Poodle brain, think that it’s a good idea to check out the moose again.  Garth notices, trots over to Enzo, gives him another mild correction and then Enzo’s ears melt into the sides of his head and he adoringly stares up at Garth like “okay. I get it.” Garth then walks towards the house and Enzo is prancing behind him.

There was no full-blown submission where they’re laying belly up from Enzo and Poppy towards Garth. Just an understanding of Garth’s “cut the shit.” request.

These are just two examples of how Garth has stopped a dog from running away in these high-pressure moments, and there has been other moments since, but once I noticed this it got me thinking:

Is this why recall is so hard to train?

I believe dogs are instinctually wired to lead or be led. Majority are followers, and there are a select few who can take the leadership position and pull it off well.  Many “fake it ‘til they make it” until the human learns the job.

So, when we do things like use spatial pressure to get them to move their body away from us, or when they are in possession of something like a sock and we require them to leave it; it makes sense to them because they do that to each other.

But us standing on the deck in our housecoat, hollering at them, when they think they have a damn good reason for chasing whatever they are chasing?  Our dogs are probably like: outrun me, you B!

Now, there are moments where all the dogs are working together to chase the moose, or sound the alarm on cattle across the road.  There are moments where Garth lays on the deck while Enzo and Tilly bark and bark and bark at moose eating willows in the bush and eventually, he will get up and attempt to get the moose to leave, ignoring the other dogs.

The difference is in those moments, he does not mind if the others are chasing and harassing; but in those other moments?  He put a stop to it.  A non-negotiable stop too.  And what is also interesting is, once Garth has stopped the behaviour, he doesn’t demand they follow him away from it, they’re just not supposed to continue on towards what he’s basically said no to.

Whereas when we recall our dogs it is like: stop moving towards the thing (or just simply away from me) AND come back to me.

Ooof.  That’s a lot to ask of them, my friend.

So, when training your dog’s recall, expect it to take a very long time for some.  Do not give up on the process and don’t think the alternative is just letting your dog off leash and out of sheer gratitude they’ll start to listen to your recall.

This is one thing that has to be trained and tested all of the time.