by The Crunchy Canine | Aug 12, 2018 | Puppy Training
6 Tips for Teaching a Reliable Recall to Your Dog
A reliable recall, also known as “coming when called,” is one of the most important skills your dog can learn. Whether you are hiking, visiting a park, or simply spending time outdoors, having your dog respond immediately to the recall command can keep them safe and give you peace of mind.
Many dog owners accidentally weaken their recall command without realizing it. The good news is that with consistency, proper timing, and structured practice, you can teach your dog to come when called reliably in many different environments.
1. Teach Your Dog What “Come” Actually Means
Your dog will not automatically understand the word “come.” Start by attaching a leash, saying the command once, and gently guiding your dog toward you. The moment your dog reaches you, reward them with praise, treats, or play.
Practice this exercise repeatedly in different environments while your dog is still on leash. Consistent repetition helps build a strong association between the command and the desired behaviour.
2. Avoid Overusing the Recall Command
One of the biggest mistakes dog owners make is using the word “come” too often in casual situations. If your dog hears the command constantly, they may begin to ignore it.
For example, if your dog is sniffing during a walk and you simply want to continue moving, use a casual phrase like “let’s go” instead of your formal recall command. Save “come” for situations where you expect immediate compliance.
3. Never Chase Your Dog
Chasing your dog can quickly turn recall training into a game. Instead, only use the recall command when you can enforce it safely and successfully.
Until your dog has a dependable recall, continue practicing on a leash or long line. This prevents your dog from learning that ignoring you is an option.
4. Say the Command Once
Repeating “come, come, come” teaches your dog that the first command is optional. Instead, say the command clearly one time and follow through by guiding your dog toward you if necessary.
Consistency is key when building a reliable recall response.
5. Only Use Recall When You Can Reinforce It
If your dog is not fully reliable yet, avoid using the recall command in highly distracting environments where you cannot enforce it. For example, calling your dog repeatedly at a busy dog park without success can weaken the meaning of the command.
Set your dog up for success by practicing gradually in controlled environments before progressing to more challenging situations.
6. Never Punish Your Dog for Coming to You
Your dog should always associate coming to you with positive outcomes. Even if your dog responds slowly, avoid scolding or punishing them once they arrive.
Corrections may be used fairly during the training process for non-compliance, but once your dog reaches you, the experience should end positively with praise or rewards.
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Why Recall Training Matters
A strong recall can help protect your dog from dangerous situations, improve off-leash reliability, and strengthen your relationship with your pet. Like all dog training skills, recall requires patience, consistency, and ongoing practice.
If you want a dog that can be trusted off leash in different environments, professional training can make the process faster and more effective.
Work With Professional Dog Trainers
At The Crunchy Canine, we help dog owners build reliable obedience skills through structured, balanced training programs. Whether you are working with a new puppy or an older dog, we can help improve recall, leash manners, and overall obedience.
Contact us today to learn more about our dog training programs.
Why obedience is not the answer to your problems
by The Crunchy Canine | Jan 19, 2016 | Puppy Training
When training your puppy or dog, the tool you use should be efficient and effective. The way you use the tool should be clear, consistent, and humane. While I am not going to discuss any one specific tool, know that we use a variety of training collars when training a dog. The only tools we do not use are harnesses (of any type), or regular flat buckle collars. Of course we do have our preferences, but that is not the point of this post.
When training your dog you should be using your leash and training collar to provide the dog with information. How clear the information is will depending on the tool, and your skills and timing. There are some people with many years of experience around dogs who can use a piece of fishing line to train a dog. However, they are few and far between. Now take for example if you were to try to build a wooden box. You have a table saw and a drill, or you have a dull hand saw, some nails and a rock. Now you can probably still get the job done with the dull hand saw, nails and rock. You can cut the wood with the hand saw, but it will be slow and a little messy. You can use the rock to pound the nails into the wood. Now, the job can get done, but it wasn’t efficient or effective and the end results aren’t as great as they could be. Next, let’s look at the table saw and drill. You can cut perfectly straight lines and you can put it together quickly with the drill. Both get the job done (kind of), but one is far better than the other.
Dog training tools can be viewed the same way. The wrong tool is the dull saw and the rock. The right tool, table saw and drill. Now, for those concerned with some of the tools that might look torture devices (prime example is the prong collar), note that a table saw and drill can be used incorrectly or even with intent to cause pain. BUT when used properly they can help you build beautiful works of art! Just like the saw and drill, dog training collars can be used incorrectly, or even with the intent to cause pain. However, that comes down to the person holding the leash not the tool itself.
So, if the tool you are using is giving you the results that a dull saw and rock would give you, you might want to reconsider and try something else!
Happy Training!
Katherine Vooys-McDonald
Canines In Balance
Hamilton, Ontario
Dog training Collars
by The Crunchy Canine | Jan 15, 2016 | Puppy Training
Puppy Socialization
What is puppy socialization? Recently I shared an article explaining my hate for dog parks. OK, hate might be a strong word…more like my strong dislike for dog parks. If you read the article you will understand why I dislike them so much (if you did not read it here it is http://www.kdmathews.com/-bark-blog/just-say-noto-dogparks).
When people get a new puppy or dog, everyone says “oh you have to socialize them right away”. Somehow, somewhere the definition of socialization turned into taking your dog to the dog park to be around as many dogs as possible regardless of their temperament or disposition. Don’t get me wrong, I love the IDEA of the dog park. Dogs, off leash, enjoying the company of other dogs and people. Sounds lovely doesn’t it? Unfortunately too many dogs who shouldn’t be at the dog park frequent on a daily basis. Unfortunately, most dog owners have no idea what to look for in a dog who should or should not be freely socializing with other dogs. Unfortunately, not enough people are advocating for their dogs (and maybe they just don’t know how or that they should). Unfortunately, this leads to dogs being bullied, dog fights, and dogs who were once confident around other dogs leaving fearful and insecure. Just last week we were training our dogs outside of the Grimsby Dog Park and saw a dog fight break out within 10 seconds of one dog entering the park…not to mention the over adrenalized dogs running around in pure chaos, the humping (ohhhh the humping…non stop humping), and owners off in their own little world chatting or on their phones.
So now that we’ve cleared up with a brief overview as to why I do not like dog parks and why they should not be your “go to” for socializing your puppy or dog…you’re probably still wondering what the heck you CAN do to socialize your dog! Socialization needs to be productive and positive. Yes, getting your puppy around other dogs is important but it needs to be around the right dogs. One bad experience can affect your puppy for the rest of their lives. Most dogs who are reactive or dog aggressive were not born that way. More often than not, there was at least one bad experience that caused the behaviour and many owners can pin point that experience. The risk of taking your puppy or dog to the dog park is far too great and is not worth the potential consequences. Take your puppy or dog to group training, find a trainer who holds socialization classes, or find some friends or family with a nice balanced dog. However, getting your puppy or dog around other dogs is not the only component to socialization. Most behavioural issues come from fear, lack of confidence, lack of trust in handler, and not learning to follow. More important than letting your dog play with other dogs, is to expose them to as many positive experiences as possible in a variety of different ways. If you want to ensure you have a confident and happy dog who can go places with you then you need to take your dog to different places, let them explore different sounds and smells, touch and feel all kinds of surfaces. Here are some examples of what you can do:
- Take your dog to different dog friendly stores (most banks, Lowes, TSC, Rona, and many more).
- Using a long line (or off leash if your dog has a solid recall), allow your dog explore parks, trails, fields etc.
- Find any unique surface and encourage your dog to explore it (bridges, jungle gyms, tarps etc).
The benefits of giving your dog plenty of exposure to these different situations will in turn produce a confident dog who can handle most of what life throws it’s way. If you only take your dog to the dog park for socialization, you can expect the one time you decide to bring your dog into a new situation he will be anxious, misbehaved, and it will not be enjoyable for either of you.
If you need help socializing your puppy or dog please contact us for a FREE evaluation at 905-869-1170!
Happy Training
Katherine Vooys
Canines In Balance
Hamilton, Ontario
puppy socialization
Puppy socialization
by The Crunchy Canine | Jan 4, 2016 | Puppy Training
Happy New Year! Have you thought about your New Year’s Resolutions yet? Maybe your dog needs a resolution too? Pulling on leash? Jumping on guests? Excessive barking? Begging at the table? Not listening? If this sounds a little too familiar then it might just be time to make a joint resolution with your dog. While we hope training becomes an all year thing for you and your dog, why not take this opportunity to start the year off right? We have a variety of options when it comes to training to suit the needs of everyone. Whether you are looking for group class, private one on one training, or want us to do the training for you at Day School, we’ve got the solution to help you get your dog’s issues under control. Our gentle and effective training methods actually work! Just check out what our clients have to say here!
Not sure you want to commit to training just yet? Here are some FREE easy dog training tips to get you started on your own!
Adult Group Dog Training & Group Puppy Training
We now have two locations for Adult Group Dog Training and Group Puppy Training classes to serve you better! DogDen in Burlington on Monday and Wednesdays, and Temple of the Dog in Beamsville on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
We’d love to hear about your dog training goals! Contact us to reserve your spot in group class or to book a FREE evaluation for private training!
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