How to improve recall when *I don't have anything he wants?*

[iloveeverykindofcat]

The skinny rescue corgi is no longer a skinny scraggly fox. He is now a lean, muscled, bouncing machine. The vet says he's in perfect shape. Got a little round corgi booty with distinct glutes. Fur still tends to dryness but I think that's just the texture.

Ever since he decided that other dogs are not a threat but in fact the funnest thing to ever exist, recall has been going downhill. The problem is that when he's playing with another dog, I don't have anything to tempt him with. Playing with other dogs is better than praise or fuss. He doesn't care about food or treats much at the best of times, and in any case, he's not a dog that can eat anything, he needs a fairly limited diet to keep his digestive system healthy. How can I improve his recall when I don't have leverage? With our Pembroke, all you have to do is yell, 'What's in the pocket?' and she's there like a shot, because that means you've got a treat for her (or you might have).

What about a toy?

I'm sure you will get some useful answers soon, but for now I just had to pop in to admire his very handsome corgi self, ears booty and all 😍

As the owner of a reactive dog… please pop him on a long line for now.
Have you tried the pâtés that you slice and freeze (JR for example) they stink and most dogs enjoy them much more than normal treats and find them more appealing due to the strong smell. The ingredients are fabulous too so should be good for his tummy

Find something squeaky toy, whistle, long lead etc

He's going on the long lead for a bit until we get this right. He was too close to a road yesterday. We already tried a whistle. More effective than calling but still not reliable. We could work on finding a special toy, he is puppyish. Pate might work but I've never met a dog so uninterested in food before.

I had a border collie like this. I was in a training class... obedience!! I would end up in tears. Trainer ex RAF for 35 years,then retired doing this. He said you never go back to your dog,we didn't use treats in those days. Was recommended to use lunging lead (for horses) wasn't forking out for that. I used a long length of rope, went down to the back of funnily enough,a race course where we used to live,golf course at the back. Let out the rope,and did lots of enthusiastic "come on",patting on my knees. He did also say,you are setting yourself up to fail,if the dog has found something really nice... in your case,a nice doggy friend. He also said you never do anything other than praise the dog when it does return. It worked. I have a 7 year old border collie now, by the time I had her as a puppy,it's tubes of cream cheese as a bribe. He is gorgeous by the way.

He's gorgeous.

I know you say he's not interested in good treats, but I have never known a dog not have some item of food they won't come for. You'll definitely need to go way above 'dog treats' & find his weakness!!
then train on his own without distractions.

then once his recall is good, when out & about you'll need to call him to you before he runs off with a playmate!

We could try to find a food he can't resist. But a but hesitant as he had awful colitis when we got him, bleeding from the bowel and crying with it. He's now on a salmon and potato formula with no grain and his bowels are good. Good point about calling him back before he finds his best thing - a playful dog - otherwise you've lost his focus.

He’s a gorgeous dog. How old is he?

I used a book but rather helpfully can’t remember what it’s called… total recall maybe?
premise is that you use a command and treat with high value treat (chicken in our case).
start when the dog is right next to you. When he gets it (won’t take long) get him to come towards you (again doesn’t take long) gradually extend the distance until he’s in eg another room. Then do it outside and so on. It then goes up a stage when you practice with other dogs but I was bored by then. It’s a good book. We have a whippet and his recall is good but it is still treat based which is annoying as I have to take a bag of treats every time I go out …

Tug-e-nuff toy was much more effective for us than food for recall ( and we have a lab). That and just managing the situation so she didn't have the opportunity to bomb off and find out how fun it could be!

Thank you, yes he's turned into a handsome fellow hasn't he? We don't know his age, we rescued him a couple months ago, but he's young. Dogs Trust vet thought about 2, but could be less.

What about sprats? My dog is grain free and on salmon and potato food as well and this is what we use.

Flirt pole (lunge whip with something furry on the end) or a tug e Nuff toy.

Play somewhere with no dogs around and dogs on a long lead, make it so the game is the most exciting thing in the world.

You need the sexier than a squirrel app - really!

cuddles & praise
whistles,
weirdly, some dogs will respond more for those rewards than edibles.

I've know a few dogs not that into food. It is weird!

Thank you everyone! Will be looking into all these resources. He's a good boy. He was badly abused before his rescue but he's got a lot of spirit still.

Our foster dog came with similar issues. Dogs were simply more fun!

We spent time going to empty fields for walks and making recall a game, with lots of high value food. The smellier the better, if yours is good with salmon, then you can buy dehydrated salmon treats from pets at home. Or try dried sprats which are cheaper, smelly and our dog loves them. Also keep a squeaky toy in the pocket, but never give it.

We also kept recall routine/commands consistent. So it is always, three quick blasts on thr whistle, "come dog name" in happy excited voice and a fist in the air holding a treat (he knows hand tie, which helps as booping fist = treat). Squeak the dog toy as requireed, but never give it to them. With no distractions he improved and we're now working on making him a good dog around others.

We were told to not practise recall in the first 5 mins of being of lead if possible, because it's too exciting. Let them sniff about first/release some energy. And if your dog ever come up to you of his own accord, he gets a treat and a fuss for that too. And make yourself sound super excited.

Hope that helps a bit

Try cooked salmon, if he is OK on salmon kibble?

My young collie is not very food oriented and also has a sensitive stomach (eg chicken is a definite intolerance). For recall training we are having some success with salmon (tried it as had leftovers from family dinner - it is a rather expensive option if I'm going to need it long term, I might have a go at tinned!). Also sprats and normal pork sausage work for her, though the pork needs to be in moderation for her tummy.

Recall at every opportunity- but only when you actually want / need your doggy to come!
Out in the garden & ready to come in? "Doggy come!" ... wanting to go for a walk even before you get the lead "doggy come" ... feeding time: "doggy come" and so on!
Plus all the helpful tips for outside.

Give yourself time, recall like loose leash walking takes a lot of time, patience and repetition.

He will calm down over time. It’s lovely that he’s not scared anymore. Our trainer said dogs respond to learned patterns of behaviour so if you call him back and he doesn’t come you’re teaching him he doesn’t need to. So 99% of training should be when you know he will come back. Practice in the house with no distractions and small bits of his dinner and lots of praise. Eventually he should come back because he has learned that routine. For now can you meet up with friends who have dogs to get him some friends Without having to approach unfamiliar dogs?

Some dogs simply won't recal, I have one and can't let her off the lead, I now put her on a long line so she can run around or rent one of those enclosed fields. Corgies are known for being very stubborn so you might have to consider not letting him off

Our dog had awful recall. We paid for a trainer who suggested a few things which helped. We had to change our recall word and so instead of 'Molly, come!' We used 'Molly, Back!' and always reward (with whatever works best). She now associates that word with the treat and will always come. If we go back to our old word, she mostly ignores us!

You don’t want to bribe him... you want to train the recall so that it’s automatic that he comes back, so you don’t start in a situation where he’s going to not do it.

Total recall is a good book because it starts right at the basics of it.

But until you’re way further on, you want to not be having to test the recall by calling him away from other dogs, you want to either have him before he goes over or be letting him loose with other dogs in a controlled situation where you’re not needing to call him back. That might mean more on lead time or a longline, but, it’ll pay off in the longterm.

Corgis usually are stubborn, we've had stubborn ones before, but our current Pembroke is remarkably easy going. Also incredibly greedy, which makes training her a piece of cake. Or piece of kibble, as it were. You don't even have to give her a treat every time. She'll come for the possibility of a treat.