I believe our mischievous cairns have a “freedom gene” that gives them a special love for a carefree run through the neighborhood with their owner chasing hopelessly behind. My cairn Lani could make me look like an absolutely incompetent fool, leading me on a merry chase from yard to yard, on those few occasions when her freedom gene was triggered. Fortunately, nothing bad happened during those freedom runs.
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| Lani was usually a mellow lady, but her freedom gene could be triggered in a flash! |
I thought I was absolutely brilliant when I figured out how to get Lani to come to me before her freedom run turned into a marathon. The one thing that Lani loved the most -- more than even steak or ice cream -- was a walk. So when she took off, I’d grab her leash, run out to the sidewalk, and loudly announce that I was going for a WALK! Then I’d start walking in the opposite direction from Lani. When she heard “WALK,” she would turn to look at me, then run up to me begging for her leash so she could go on a walk with me. Like I said, I thought I was brilliant.
Well. It seems I had just independently discovered a well-known training tip.
“The best way to get an untrained dog to come to you when he has other ideas is to carry great treats and run away from him,” suggests Leslie Nelson in her pamphlet Really Reliable Recall. “If you really need to get him, try running away and laying on the ground. Few dogs can resist the sight of their owner laying on the ground. It’s not dignified, but it works!”
Obviously, there are times and places where we need a recall that doesn't depend on us running. According to Nelson, we must use a signal that is like nothing else you would say to the dog. Nan, a friend of mine who has the most obedient and fun-loving dogs I’ve ever seen, uses a high-tone sound with soft consonants. She points out that “come” -- with the “ka” sound -- is not a friendly sound and, when said in alarm or anger, can sound a bit threatening. And what dog wants to go to an angry owner? Instead, try calling with “pup pup pup” or “bip bip bip” in a high, lilting tone, or something similar, she suggests.
I trust myself to use the high soft sound for all of my dogs -- except for 4-year-old Nemo when he starts running the fence and barking at my neighbor’s cocker spaniel. I get so mad at him! I try to manage our schedule so he isn’t outside when the spaniel is, but sometimes my neighbor changes his usual schedule and there goes Nemo! And there I go, yelling like a banshee. His adrenaline spikes, my adrenaline spikes, and it’s a vicious cycle. So I’ve recently purchased a dog whistle and the book Total Recall by Pippa Mattinson.
Mattinson’s recommendation of using a whistle makes total sense to me, especially since I can’t be trusted to call Nemo cheerfully when he has gone over his threshold with the neighbor dog. The whistle will always sound the same, no matter what my emotions are, and Nemo will recognize it as meaning “come here NOW.”
Both Nelson and Mattinson are clear on the steps to train for a reliable or total recall: only use your special call/whistle when you are 100% certain your dog will come to you. Only call him once. Reward him generously with a special, high-value treat. And practice!
I’ll let you know how the whistle training goes. In the meantime, do you have recall tips or stories you’d like to share? Please use the comment section at the end of this post. We’d love to hear from you!
