ComeDog comes to you, fast, from anywhere
The skill that keeps a dog alive, and the one most easily poisoned. The recall word must ALWAYS predict something excellent. If it ever predicts the end of the fun, it stops working exactly when you need it.
Also known as: Here, Recall
At a glance
- Tier
- 1 · Basic
- Time to fluency
- 6–16 weeks
- Practice
- 6× per week, 10 min each
- Equipment
- High-value treats, 15m long line, Harness (not a collar, for long-line work)
Prerequisites
Your dog should know these words first:
How to teach come
Lure
Run backwards and reward hard on arrival
- Start indoors, two paces apart
- Moving away from the dog pulls them in; moving toward them pushes them off
- Pay far more than you think. This is your most expensive skill
- Take the collar gently before the treat, so hands near the collar stay safe
- End the session while they still want more
Hand Signal
Wide arms, crouched, from a distance
- Crouching is an invitation; looming is not
- Practise on a long line before ever going off-leash
- Never recall to something the dog dislikes
Verbal Cue
One recall word, used sparingly and paid every time
- Pick a word you have never used before and never scold with
- If you cannot enforce it, do not say it. Go get the dog instead
- Recall, reward, and RELEASE them back to what they were doing, most times
- Practise at 10 metres before 50
Success criteria
- Unlearned
- No reliable response when called
- In progress
- Comes on the word from 10 metres on a long line, no distractions
- Mastered
- Comes off a sniff or another dog, at distance, first call
Common mistakes
- Calling the dog to end the walk, which teaches the word means 'fun is over'
- Calling when you cannot enforce it, which teaches the word is optional
- Scolding a dog that came slowly. You are punishing the arrival
- Going off-leash before the long line is boringly reliable