Recall Review
Week 6
Introduction
By Week 6, the puppies are ready to show how much their recall skills have improved. In this classroom review, students practice calling their dogs across the room while other puppies and people create natural distractions. The goal is to celebrate the progress the puppies have made while reinforcing that coming when called should always be rewarding and fun.
Class Experience
Linda’s Message
Linda reminds the class that recall can be one of the hardest skills for dogs to master. With other puppies running around and so many exciting distractions in the room, choosing to run back to their person takes real focus.
That’s why every successful recall deserves big rewards and plenty of encouragement. The more dogs learn that coming when called leads to something great, the more reliable that behavior becomes over time. Even in a busy room full of distractions, the puppies showed just how much progress they’ve made.
Quick Notes
Here are some key ideas to remember when practicing recall with your dog.
• Use your dog’s name first, followed by your recall word.
• Make sure your dog knows you have great rewards ready.
• Use your best special treats for recall practice.
• Encourage your dog while they are on their way to you.
• Reward generously when your dog arrives.
• Recall becomes stronger when dogs learn that coming to you always pays well.
• Practice with different levels of distraction as your dog improves.
• Success in recall should always feel exciting and rewarding for the dog.
Practice at home!
Now it’s time for you to try with your puppy!
In this Week 6 review, students practice recall by working in pairs across the room. One person holds the dog while the other moves to the opposite side and prepares to call them. When the dog is ready, the handler calls their dog using their name followed by their recall cue.
The puppies run across the room toward their handlers, often passing by other people and dogs along the way. These extra distractions make the exercise more challenging and help build a stronger recall in real-world situations.
Throughout the exercise, trainers encourage participants to use enthusiastic voices and generous rewards when their dog arrives. The room fills with excitement as the puppies successfully run back to their people, showing how much their recall skills have improved over the course of the class.
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Be sure to send us a video demonstrating this behavior as well so we can give you personalized training advice with our virtual video service.