How to Teach Your Dog an Emergency Recall Command

No moment in a dog owner's life is more frustrating (or possibly frightening) than the moment you need your dog to come to you and it refuses. When this happens, a dog owner realizes that even his well-trained dog isn't completely perfect. Even if your dog would respond your command on an ordinary day, you may run into a situation that distracts or upsets your dog to the point where it forgets to listen to you. This can be unsafe for your dog and for others, especially if it is chasing the neighbor's cat into the street or going after the stranger on a motorcycle. These are the moments when you need a safety-net, an emergency recall that you know will get your dog to return to you without hesitation.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog treats
Show More

Instructions

  1. Teach Your Dog to "Come"

    • 1

      Say your dog's name. When it responds by looking toward you, reward it with a treat and praise. This helps your dog learn its name, so that when you say "Come, Rusty," it knows you are talking to it.

    • 2

      Ask your dog to stay and then take a few steps away from it. Say "come," followed by your dog's name. If necessary, show it a treat to convince it to come to you. Reward and praise your dog enthusiastically for coming to you. This teaches the dog that coming to you is a positive experience.

    • 3

      Move farther and farther away from your dog before calling it to you. Eventually you should try calling it from other rooms in the house, or call it while it is playing in the yard. Calling your dog from different locations helps it to practice with distraction or without the visible promise of a treat. Call your dog randomly as well, so that it learns to come at all times.

    • 4

      Withhold treats as your dog becomes more reliable at coming when you call. Reward it every other time or every fourth time, until it gets used to coming without a snack. Continue to praise your dog each time it comes, however. Coming should always be a positive experience for your dog, so that it will want to keep returning to you.

    Introduce the Emergency Recall

    • 5

      Choose a new word to use for your emergency recall. This is a code word of sorts that you will only use with your dog when you practice the recall or in an emergency. Don't overuse this word, or your dog will become desensitized to it. You can also use a dog whistle, though you will always need it with you when you are out with your dog.

    • 6

      Prepare an extra tasty treat for your dog. Don't use the same reward you use when you do basic training. Instead, use cooked bits of meat such as steak or chicken, or prepare some hot dogs or bite-sized chunks of cheese.

    • 7

      Repeat the same process you used when training your dog to come. Your dog should know its name, so you can skip the name-recognition step. This time, reward your dog with a special treat. This raises the stakes for your dog and teaches it that coming will result in something extra special when you use your chosen recall command.

    • 8

      Stop practicing the emergency recall daily once your dog responds reliably. Instead, practice it randomly a few times a month to keep your dog from forgetting. Don't overuse this command once your dog has learned it. When you do practice, never stop rewarding your dog with an extra yummy treat for coming to the emergency recall. The promise of that reward will entice your dog to return to you even when your basic come command fails.