Coming back when called has been a big feature in training with my dogs over the last few months. In this video we are walking in a local forestry block (now logged… argh I miss it). We are working on recall…like every walk!
Blue and Rosie are pretty reliable off-lead in the forest. I am working on them responding to my recall whistle again because we have fallen out of practice with it (they each also have verbal recall cues).
Sprocket is a hunter at heart and so the critters in the forest are a big distraction for him. Watch how I give him some freedom with a tracking line, but stay in control. I’ll post a link to the tracking line I’m using in the comments. It has no handle to avoid snags.
I think of Sprocket dragging his tracking line like “training wheels” for off-lead time. I have spent many walks holding the tracking line at all times (because he would have run off otherwise). He just recently graduated to dragging his line in certain (safe) locations.
Be careful if letting your dog drag a line – always have them wear a harness (to protect their neck) and be careful you don’t loose control… they can easily get snagged or caught up making it difficult for them to find. Open spaces are best for dragging lines for beginners!
Stay tuned to follow our recall training journey – each of my dogs are at a different level of training with recall so hopefully you will resonate with where I am with one of them. If not, ask questions!
Remember, every walk is a chance to practice recall. You just need the correct equipment for the job… a harness and long line.
