– Content and Marketing Coordinator, Press Office at EmmanuelleChaix
How important is the recall.. it determines your dog’s safety and the communication you have established with him/her. It means that he/she can feel a total freedom in a reasonably controlled environment such as the park, outdoor space, the beach, or in a blank canvas, going on holiday to the unknown, and basically anywhere where the lead is out of sight.
The recall becomes important, and so is the way you feel about it. For example, if you are anxious about letting your dog free, he/she can appear unsecure and he/she can forget all rules. So try and chose a day when you feel happy to experiment, a sunny day perhaps during the week when the park is less busy. He/she will decide her whereabouts and the socialising is likely to be greater. Be prepared for some excitement. And know it is your role to reassure your dog if he/she needs it, whenever he/she turns to you, through this new experience.
A reliable recall is needed, everyone has gone there. First thing first, when you decide it is time to go, call your dog and initiate the recall straight away.
The most common way to recall your dog is to use a rather tasty treat which he/she cannot ignore, it is just too delicious and too tempting. Another successful way is to engage in a game where he/she will be so happy to play with you perhaps with a favourite toy, that he/she automatically comes back. Finally, make it clear. You are welcoming his/her coming back, open your arms wide and by encouraging him/her with great enthusiasm and positive energy, and trying to keep words to the minimum.
The message you are sending him/her is that by coming back he/she gets rewarded in different forms, quite simple, practice and it will work if not the first time, soon enough. It is a fantastic feeling to achieve a reliable recall because it adds a new dimension to your dog’s life which stimulates him/her immensely ☀ ⚡
© EmmanuelleChaix