how to improve dog recall

[racmac]

Jack russell is bit of a nightmare at coming when he is called - please help fix this?

My terrier is the same. I try and keep him engaged when he is off leash with a ball game or a chase game.

Every few minutes I recall him and he gets a nice treat (usually raw mince or roast chicken). He is on a long line which is left to trail behind him so I can grab him and reel him in just incase.

with my vizsla, I have found that her recall is diabolical unless I have extra special treats on offer. Forget the puppy training treats in jars etc. What she loves is cheese, salami, ham, chicken, etc. I cut it up into really tiny pieces (little fingernail size) so she only gets a tiny taste in order to keep up her interest.

the dog behaviourist i visited told me that you need to master sit and heel, before recall will be mastered.

how is he on these other two commands?

Recall is dead simple - it must mean the beginning of something fun not the end of something.

So if your dog is playing with another dog the reward to come to you must be better than playing with another dog.

So the reward could be a toy a fantastic treat or something the dog loves the best. For one dog I train it is a play with a flower pot!!!!

So when there are no distractions find out what the dog loves only let the dog have this wonderful item when you call the dog. Also never stand still when you call the dog always run in the opposite direction to the dog they usually love to chase a moving object.

Never call the dog if there is no chance that it will not come to you

If the recall is rubbish have the dog on a long lead and train recall with the lead.