Training · 28 October 2026
A recall that works in a busy compound
A dog who comes when called can be trusted at the gate, on the beach at Bonny and around the children. It is also the skill owners give up on first. It does not have to be hard.
By the Ridgeback training team
In short
- Pick a fresh word that has never failed
- Add distance first, distractions last
- Practise on a long line, not off lead
- Call often, and let fun continue after
Start with a word that has never failed
If you have shouted "come" a hundred times while your dog ignored you, that word is spoiled. Choose a fresh one, such as "here" or a whistle, and promise yourself it will only ever mean good things.
For the first week, say the new word only when your dog is already running to you. Then pay with something better than dry kibble: a piece of chicken, a game with a toy.
Build distance before distraction
Practise in the parlour, then the corridor, then the yard with the gate locked. Add one metre at a time. Only when your dog comes ten times out of ten do you add a distraction such as a dropped biscuit.
Many owners in compounds skip straight to the gate with the gateman, three children and a cat. That is the final exam, not the first lesson.
Never call your dog for something it dislikes: a bath, the end of play or a telling off.
Use a long line, not luck
A 10 metre line clipped to a harness lets you practise in the open without risk. If your dog does not come, you calmly gather the line. The dog learns that ignoring you never pays, and there is no chase game to enjoy.
Keep it alive
Call your dog five times on every walk and let it go back to sniffing after four of them. A recall that always ends the fun gets slower. A recall that often means "treat, then carry on" stays sharp for life.
Our Reliable recall programme takes four Sunday mornings in the fenced field and ends with a practice walk with other dogs.
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