Picture the scene…. you have just enjoyed a lovely walk with your friends and your dogs, you get near the end of the walk, and you need to put your dog back on lead but she won’t come close enough to allow you to clip it back on. You have watched your friends easily and calmly recall their dogs, they are all waiting ready to walk back to the car and you are getting more and more frustrated with your dog because she is seeing this part of the walk as more of a ‘catch me if you can’ kind of game!
If this is all too familiar, read on for tips on making the end of your walks stress free.
Positive CER
When I am out with my own dogs, as you can see in the video clips at the bottom of this article, they have a positive conditioned emotional response (CER) to recalling to me and then having their lead clipped to their harnesses. The behaviour has a good reinforcement history, and they therefore have a positive (CER) when they hear the recall cue, so offering the behaviour is rewarding in itself for them.
This is because I have spent time recalling them and praising with super tasty treats such as; JR Pate, Cheese, Squeezy Baby Food Pouch etc. When we recall our dogs, we want to remember the following points;
- Recall numerous times during the walk not just the times when needed
- Set them up for success meaning we don’t use our recall cue when they are already busy i.e. sniffing their pee-mail. Wait until they are finished and then recall.
- NEVER reprimand the dog for not returning when first asked. If they did not recall you either; set them up to fail by calling when they are already preoccupied, you have tainted your recall cue by continually using it and the dog now sees it as white noise and ignores it or the dog has now associated returning to you with negative consequences.
- Praise generously at the start of recall training but always carry high value (in your dog’s opinion) rewards on walks so that you can praise intermittently throughout walks, once your dog is recalling reliably. Remember, it doesn’t have to be food related.
I would recommend starting to create a positive CER to the lead and returning to you in the house and garden first and then once the dog has picked this up reliably, take this new skill out on walks but keep the distractions to a minimum.
Lead on shouldn’t signal the end of the walk
Whilst I am out walking my dogs, I have to put them on lead multiple times, for numerous reasons such as;
- Entering fields with livestock
- Crossing roads / Road walking
- When we come across other people
- When we approach dogs on lead
My dogs have learned that when I recall them and put their leads on, this most often does not signal the end of the walk, it’s just a stretch of the walk where they must be on lead before, they will likely have another off-lead stretch. This makes getting them on lead at the end of the walk much easier.
What you can start implementing on your walks today…
- Make use of a long line to start your recall training
- Consider hiring a secure dog walking field so that you know you cant be disturbed by other distractions
- Recall numerous times during your walk and give jackpot treats for reward
- Throughout the walk put the lead on for a minute or so and then release, do this multiple times
- Always keep your training sessions positive and never use punishment
Good luck and let us know how you get on if you try these tips with your dog/s.