"Sausages" is our failsafe!
"Come" is standard

 

Um. Here, come, c'mere, HEY, get over here, their names. They all recall really, really well. "Here" is the formal recall/officially command, but they're pretty willing to get on my butt at any indication.

Our failsafe/will call EVERYONE right freaking now? "JACK!" Because all of them learned to recall by running after Jack when we played recall games with him, first, so it's still this really fun/exciting/best thing ever thing. Doesn't even matter if Jack's with us. Yell Jack and the others will come.

(None of this includes the deaf dog who's 'recall' is either a buzz on teh vibration collar or a hand-wave/beckon.)

 

Come, come here, whistle, his name - all depending on the situation

 

Come/Here are the 'lax recall.
Touch is the failsafe.

 

Come? Emergency is a nose touch.

 

Touch is the failsafe here as well. Come is basic recall but "lets go" works as does just calling his name. Another that will bring Freyja or Lad bolting is "Release".

 

I use Lets Go for a casual walk or when we are going somewhere but I do not need a Heel...

 

Here....

and

Here to me....

 

Word? Nothing, I have no specific word for it, they come everytime I look at them..or say anything..or point.. it's the "don't come" part thats tricky and needs specific words lol

 

I use their names, called in a high pitched voice.

Names of high value rewards may work really well, unless you use them and then that reward doesn't appear more times than it does appear, and the dog stops responding. Also I'd be hesitant to use the name of a reward to get my dog's attention, because you are rewarding whatever the dog is doing when you call them, which over time could make the dog more likely to not focus or run away or roll in things or whatever it is you're calling them away from.

 

I use a two note whistle. But 'Come Here' is formal. I rarely use the formal because I say other things like 'come on...' or I casually say 'come here' in low key situations to check his teeth or slap him around a bit. But I want recall to be more energetic and instantaneous, and I think I've poisoned the word 'come' in that it will work but it is low key. The whistle, I rarely use but it is dead-stop-turn-come-to-me-full-speed even in the midst of chasing other animals. Sometimes when I have high value food (like a chicken thigh) even if I don't feel like training I will casually bring him outside without him knowing what's going on, and he won't be very distracted to begin with but I will whistle and throw the chicken down the moment he gets to me. Not so much a practiced recall in distractions, but just continually reinforcing the whistle to be a very high value thing.

I am curious for people who have touches as the fail proof recall... How did that come about and why?

 

I use a two note whistle. But 'Come Here' is formal. I rarely use the formal because I say other things like 'come on...' or I casually say 'come here' in low key situations to check his teeth or slap him around a bit. But I want recall to be more energetic and instantaneous, and I think I've poisoned the word 'come' in that it will work but it is low key. The whistle, I rarely use but it is dead-stop-turn-come-to-me-full-speed even in the midst of chasing other animals. Sometimes when I have high value food (like a chicken thigh) even if I don't feel like training I will casually bring him outside without him knowing what's going on, and he won't be very distracted to begin with but I will whistle and throw the chicken down the moment he gets to me. Not so much a practiced recall in distractions, but just continually reinforcing the whistle to be a very high value thing.

I am curious for people who have touches as the fail proof recall... How did that come about and why?

I think because it is a simple cue that is taught and reinforced early on in training. It also rarely/never winds up poisoned the way "come" can by being used to call a dog for something negative like bath time or ending play. Touch is so simple that you rarely ask for it and the dog fails to perform so it doesn't turn into a "I can do when I'm ready" type of command. It just seems to be something my dogs enjoy doing and will rush to do every time, probably because it has a high rate of reward. "Release" has been the same way. All it means is "the behavior you were doing is over, you are free to stop" but they all take it to mean, "rush to me really quickly to get a reward" so it works great as a failsafe recall.

 

"here!" or "cheese!" lol.

 

I use her name first to get her attention and then 'come' so, "Loon... come!"

 

"Name, Come" has worked for me. In emergencies it's "Who want's a cookie?" Then they really come running.

 

"Come" however that doesn't always work outdoors, so we are working on that. She will respond to treat or car ride, etc, but I don't use those unless I can actually offer them. We have recently started training an emergency recall ("Ellie, NOW!") and it is working perfectly. Always use a loud, urgent tone and give a jackpot of treats to ensure in a real life situation she actually comes!

 

We just use a high pitched "Tula, come!"

If it's important that she come right away, or we are out at the farm and I can't see her, I do the same as above, but add clapping to it, then when she sees me I crouch down and keep clapping and she will run past anything to get to me.

As a side note, my husband came in the other day and pointed out that the neighbors a few houses down that don't like us have started training their dog to come the same exact way, crouching, clapping, high pitched call. ~~They're watching me~~

 

I usually just say "Come" but when we're feeling silly we might say "chicken chicken!" or "I have cheeeese!" LOL

 

I've always had to use Toby's name before a cue - I think I've only recently started pairing cues without his name in front of every single word.

 

Interesting! Normally if she's already paying attention and we're making eye contact I don't use it first, just say the cue.

I mostly only use her name to get her attention so she knows I'm talking to -her-.

 

For 'emergency' purposes, or the 'I want you right *here*, right *now*' times, I will use "(dog's name) Come!" Otherwise, if it's more of a 'suggestion' or a request to make their way closer to me without the necessity for a full-on, formal recall, I'll use a variety of watered down versions: "Com'ere" "Com'on" "Get your fuzzy butt back here!" That sort of thing. And hollering out anyone's name will usually bring them running back to the yard pretty quickly if they're out wandering around in the woods.

 

That's pretty much what I do. In the house, I'll sometimes call out "hey, whatcha doing?" in a really happy voice and they'll come running. If they're in the back yard and reluctant to come in, I go inside and they're at the door in seconds once they notice.

 

A simple "Come!" had always worked for all my dogs, until I got a Tibetan Spaniel (motto: "Quick to Learn, Slow to Obey!"). I can stand there and call until I am blue in the face and he won't even flick an ear. Now I carry a little squeaker in my pocket, one squeak and he comes running as fast as those short legs can carry him.

 

Watson has a couple. "Here" is his emergency recall that was trained with the ecollar. "Come" is used mostly for obedience type recalls, with a sit at front. Then there are various casual things like "this way" or "let's go" or "wait up" where he doesn't have to come all the way to me, just come closer to me.

Not sure about Hazel yet. Right now I'm just using her name and sometimes add "come" as she's coming to me. And if she's out with Watson she learns "here" by following him when he recalls. And sometimes I squeak a Cuz toy or kong squeaker ball if I really need to get her attention

 

"Come!" is the official command/"failsafe," and just a "Meeko!" or "Over here!" is what we normally use.

 

Oooooh I never thought to carry a squeaker... that's a great little tip. G is pretty solid with her recall but every now and then she putzes around and ignores me.

 

I think "touch" is also much more clear than the way most people teach "come". "Come" means come towards me, but does it mean turn towards me, come 5ft towards me, come all the way (and then what is all the way?). "Touch" is black and white and very clear to the dog. It's also unlikely to become a poisoned cue because most people use it as a fun game

 

Mike's own name works 90% of the time. Our failsafe phrase is: *gasp* "Mike, what is this?" Usually accompanied by bending over and picking up a single blade of grass, holding it like it is some kind of delicate treasure. Something invisible works fine too. Mike can never resist the urge to go see what this awesome thing is that we found.

 

Hahaha that is too funny! Silly Mike

 

I'm bad an really haven't worked on recall nearly as much as I should. Jubel is rarely off leash in un-fenced areas. He's recall is pretty good when he knows he's fenced in. A simple "let's go!" as I walk towards the gate and he's racing me to the gate, I think largely because he doesn't want to be left behind. When we had a bit of a door dashing issue a few years ago he'd race around my block of townhomes. Best way to get ahold of him was to just open my car door "Jubes, let's go for a ride" and he'd come jump in the car. I would grab a leash and some treats before going to get him when he door dashed so he'd get some treats in the car then leashed up and put back in the house.

The few times I've let him go off leash while hiking he wanders farther than I'd like but keeps track of where I am. Listens to basic cues like if the trail split and he was up ahead and took the wrong fork, "other way Jubes!" and he'll go back and take the other path. Trying to get him to recall to me mid hike... doesn't really happen. When I needed to get him back on leash like when we ran into other people I told him to sit/stay and went to him and leashed him up. Pretty sure that only worked because the other guy had a dog who was NOT happy to see off leash dogs, Jubel could tell it wasn't a happy situation so he listened and stay put. Randomly asking him to sit/stay probably wouldn't work all the time.

If he's in the backyard and decides to munch on some mud my "emergency recall" is "carrot" or "cookie" which is delivered when he gets inside IF he listens right away. He actually gets leashed frequently when I let him into my fenced backyard BECAUSE he won't stop eating mud.

 

OT but THE MUD EATING. WHY DO THEY DO IT. Why won't they stop it's like Peggy gets grosser as she gets older, that's not how it's supposed to work