“I’m Gonna Get Ya!” (Part 1 of 2)
My next few columns are going to deal with teaching your
dog to come when called. From my perspective, a good “recall”
is part of a good relationship. If your dog looks to you for
access to the good things in life, and you have followed the
advice in my past columns on establishing a good relationship
and using the Premack Principle to teach your dog that environmental
rewards come through you, then a reliable recall should be
a natural progression in your dog's training.
Before I start teaching the set of recall behaviors that
are essential, I condition dogs to love having their collar
grabbed. The rest of this column will focus on this.
THE REASONS:
1.) Before calling your loose dog, assess the situation.
Are they too distracted to be successful? If so, you don't
want to give them the opportunity to learn that they don't
have to come when you ask them. If your dog is too distracted,
don't even waste your words. You should be able to just walk
up and take their collar when you need them.
2.) Many dogs run away when they see their handler or other
people approaching. For safety reasons, they should learn
that when you approach and reach out for them, they should
not bolt.
3.) I have worked with several dogs who have bitten people
for touching their collar. Dogs should learn that having their
collar touched or even grabbed in an emergency is okay and
not something to be afraid of. NEXT MONTH: How to make it
work!
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