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Writer's pictureAirborne K9

What is recall? And Why is it so Important?

So let’s talk about “recall”, what “recall” means, and what’s so important about “recall”. When someone says they can “recall” their dog, it means that when they call their dog, their dog comes to them. However, some may struggle recalling your dog and when they call them, either the dog comes back right away sometimes, or you have to keep calling their name over and over again until they finally come, if they may even not come back at all.



Recalls are one of my favorite commands in dog training, Recall is great for everyday life situations. Say, for example, if your dog is in the backyard and you need them to come inside because you need to go somewhere or you just want them to come inside. Or, if your dog happens to see a squirrel and decides they are going to take off into traffic, you want to make sure that recall is reliable and your dog will listen to you the first time. It can literarily save your dog’s life. Practicing recalls on a consistent basis is a great way to ensure your dog comes back to you every single time you call them on the first call.

You can use whatever type of recall word you want to use but using a shorter one is always better. Some people like to use the “come” or “here”. It is best not to use both together plus saying your dogs name. The reason is in an emergency situation when you call your pup, having to say “Fido, come here” takes longer to say than “Fido, come,” or Fido, here”. My recall word I like to use is “here.” I have two dogs so I use their name first followed by the word “here”. For example when I call my German Shepherd mix, Avery, I say “Avery, here” every time. For my other dog my pug, I say “Marchello, here”.



Teaching recalls is always really fun for me as well for the dogs. We turn into into a little game for the furry friends. Making sure we reward them every single time they come back to us, making it a fun and positive experience so they want to come back to you every time. In dog training, always start with low distractions at first, like being inside somewhere. Then working your way up to outside, where the smells and distractions are a lot higher. Practicing in different areas will really help your dog understand no matter where they are at or what is going on around them, they need to listen to you when you call them.

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