Welcome back to another write-up on the adventures of training my Working Cocker Spaniel Pup, Milo. By no means is this training specific to Cockers or breeds larger than Teacup and Toy Poodles; this is all about learning to put trust in our dogs and to direct them away from putting themselves or others in danger.
The Mindset Shift
Let's start with a note on the necessary mindset shifts that you'll need to make. Milo is getting closer to his one-year mark, so naturally, his curiosity for the world is at an all-time high. We’ve worked hard to ensure our dog is well socialised, and we’ve done such a great job that now his attention is easily diverted away from us and onto the world, which can be a challenge. He’s a very cheerful and social pup, and that meant we needed to learn how to get his attention. Milo is the type of pup that launches himself at everything he’s exploring, and we worry about smaller dogs or even people that may be sacred or put off by him. You can’t just shout out, "Oh don’t worry he’s friendly" when all the other person sees is a furry bullet with crazy eyes launching at them or their pup at full force!
It's not talked about in the blogs and training videos, but the mindset shift that takes place is in your expectations. The mistake which leads to frustration on our part happens when our expectations that Great Recall = Milo Returns On Demand EVERY SINGLE TIME HE’S SUMMONED. What we need to remember is that our dogs need to be dogs, and the only time a recall (human intervention) is to be put to use is when we need to direct them away from an unfavourable situation. The shift is about intervention. Your dog is not a robot; it has a mind of its own that’s triggered by the world around it. Step in when you need to, but the rest of the time, if your dog is loving life, not doing anything they shouldn’t be, or is walking close to you or at a comfortable distance, then just let them be!
Timing
Recall training is about choosing the right time to use the command. Remember, it’s all about the 'When'. This means you have to know when NOT to introduce a recall command. So what are the moments when you should and shouldn’t use a recall command? For instance, your dog has just run off and is not listening (Milo, almost always) and only comes back on its own terms. If the park is empty, I do not see it to be a very stressful situation, and we may call out a few times in hopes of a return. However, when you can see your dog about to run at someone, another dog, or god forbid, out of the park, we just end up shouting the name repeatedly with the recall phrase we’ve chosen, rendering the command useless. To that, I say two things. 1. It’s probably too soon for your dog to be off the lead. If your dog is prone to running off into the horizon like Milo, I would suggest using a long lead for training purposes only - not for the walks and only in controlled environments. We’re not fans of long leads for many reasons, but if you’re planning to give your dog some extra training space for recall, then I would suggest using that lead in an empty area. 2. Only introduce a recall command if your dog has turned back to look at you, regardless of how short of an instant it is. That’s a check-in. Calling out the name and the phrase for recall repeatedly if your dog’s attention is elsewhere will diminish its effect and make you more frustrated since it’s just not working. This second point is truly the most important one to actively work at, and if you learn to fight your impulse to address your dog at a distance when they’re not looking, you will see great improvement.
Reward
In my last blog post, I talked about rewarding every check-in, keep doing it! Your dog needs to associate you with rewards, give them a reason to always choose to come back to you. Rewarding your dog for coming back after a recall must be celebrated with more than just a treat. Milo, for example, is very food-driven, but certain toys do hold a higher priority on his attention radar. My partner is the more bubbly person of the couple, while I am the more conservative one that cannot hit high-pitched vocal notes of excitement with my dog. Why do I mention this? So, when your dog comes back, you have to celebrate big time as if they’ve just got into an Ivy-League School. If your dog is food motivated, have a high reward treat on hand and the more bubbly dog parent waiting - I recommend cream cheese or liver pate. When your dog returns to you, bring out all the high-pitched excitement with your YES or GOOD BOY and then reward them by putting three servings of cream cheese or pate in the grass. As you squeeze each serving into the grass, number it out loud with an excited fun tone to trigger your dog to react to every treat they’re receiving. This serves to make this process 1. Exciting, 2. Attracts your dog's attention to every bit of cheese they should search for; and 3. This is a fantastic reward for your dogs as you are spreading the cheese in the grass where they have to forage to find it rather than just getting handed a treat from your hand. This really works well with them as it excites their natural tendency to forage and sniff for food.
As for the quieter, more boring and less bubbly characters like myself, find the most rewarding toys that you know your pup loves and practice the recall by rewarding them with the toy. Do not show the toy, but rather only reveal it as a reward for your pup listening to your commands. The first induction might be more difficult if your dog is more food driven, but when they do get it right and they get the toy or a ball, then you’ve got their attention.
Most important piece of advice I can give
After working with many trainers, the best tip I can give about your approach to a happier relationship with your dog is that great training should consist of you doing less work. Believe it or not, the dedication to training your dog can sometimes tire them, and we can cause training fatigue which can make us more frustrated and the dog tired, and that leads to acting out. Our job as dog parents when training our pups is to focus more on rewarding what we like rather than taking on the challenging task of reprogramming behaviours we don’t like, punishment for bad habits, and so on. Switch up your approach and only step in to reward your dog when doing something you like. As those rewards compound over time and with consistency, you’ll see the best version of your dog come to life.
Main takeaways:
1. Set expectations.
2. Learn when to and when not to introduce the recall command.
3. Use training leads if your dog is not ready yet.
4. Use treats you can squeeze like liver pate or cream cheese and spread in the grass for your pup to forage rather than a treat handed to them.
5. Excitement with every reward when working on recall as you have to be the most exciting thing in the world to come back to. The world is an exciting place but you’ve got to be more exciting than it!!
6. Do less work.
