With recall, you have to first think what you want and then what that means to the dog.
Eg to the owner recall means the dog must stop what it is doing and come to me
The dog hears the recall command and thinks I have to stop having fun and now go back to my owner.
If you are mumsnetting and I ask you to stop and do the ironing I bet you would not log off and come running equally the same for the dog. (although mine of course mine love ironing)
Recall for the dog must mean that something FANTASTIC is going to happen not something good end.
Also it is never a matter of training the recall and then you never have to train it again. It is an ongoing thing.
First find what gets your dog going, it may be a toy, it may be food, it may be chasing. When you get a puppy the first thing you must do is to teach it to play. If you have a dog that will play you can teach it anything. I hear all the time my dog does not like to play - believe me all dogs can be taught to play if the play is fun enough for them.
Have a recall command you may find it easier to call it "play" or whistle command. Then say the word and play like crazy with the dog. Do it when the dog is near by. I can't say enough that recall should mean the beginning of something great not the end. Do it loads and loads each day. You may have to change the routine when the dog comes sometimes play sometimes run and hide, sometimes treat keep changing the reward.
You first need the dog to be able to do this in the house, then in the garden, then in the house if someone else is holding food, then in the house if someone else is playing with the dog, then in the garden etc. Then with another dog on a lead in the garden just gradually build up the distractions. (I can give a list of distractions if you need one- it will depend on each dog individually).
Until your dog is 100% they should not be allowed to run free for several reasons.
- safety
- if they get used to ignoring the command you have wasted all your time and the dog is just training you to accept refusal.
Never ever do a recall if you know the dog is going to fail.
The teenager stage is tricky but again you need to train to succeed you may need to up the reward. Think teenager playing x box and asked to do the washing up! You will have to up the anti a bit here and then as this stage passes you will soon have a fab recall.
Do not allow your dog to refuse the recall so at times this may mean prempting behaviour - you will have to scan the horizon for other dogs, geese etc.
If your dog does like playing with other dogs do not restrict this but allow it on your own terms.
Never ever recall the dog at the end of a walk, and never ever recall and put the lead on the dog initially. Recall the dog towards the end of the walk and then play some games, hiding, jumping, searching etc and then put on the lead and end the walk.
Remember recall must mean the beginning of something fun not the end.