LOU CASTLE - THE RECALL

The Recall

Many people will be working with dogs that already know the recall, some of them quite well. They're going to the Ecollar for reliability or because they're having problems with the recall working well at a distance or in the face of high level distractions. My recommendation is to teach the recall with the Ecollar as if the dog had never received any training at all, by using the following protocol. It's not that you're teaching the recall to those dogs, it's that you're teaching the dog what the stim means and that the dog is in charge of when it starts and, most importantly when it stops.

Doing this may take a bit longer (a few hours of training time, at most) but it will teach the dog what the stim means when it starts (that he's doing something wrong [not in the moral sense of the word; but in the sense that it's something that you don't want] and that when it stops, he's done the right thing and the movement is completed and he's done the right thing.

This chapter assumes that you've already set the Ecollar on the dog’s “working level.” Throughout this section I say to use the “continuous button.” But if you've found that it’s too high for your dog and he needs repetitive use of the nick button or the tap mode, that’s what you'll use.

But if that’s the case, your job will be a little bit harder because the communication isn't quite as clear. Remember the essence of Ecollar training, give the command and make the dog uncomfortable. Use gentle guidance to get the dog to perform the proper behavior. Make the dog comfortable. If you’re using the nick or tap mode you’re continually stopping and starting the stimulation, so it’s not quite as clear to the dog. Learning will still occur but not quite as fast as with continuous.

If you're working a dog that searches for a living (SAR, HRD, Police dog or any kind of a detection dog) that is supposed to range away from you, please stop reading now and go read the article on "Differences In the Training for Search Dogs." It's vital that these dogs be kept in balance and that the proper focus is maintained. Click here for that article. Differences in the Training for Search Dogs.

Tools for the Recall

To teach the recall, you'll need a few pieces of equipment:
A retractable leash, such as a Flexi. I use a 13’ model.
A buckle collar that won’t slip over the dog’s head and
Some doggie treats or a toy to de-stress the dog, if needed.

The Process

Usually the first movement taught to the dog with an Ecollar is the recall. This is the most requested behavior from pet owners and one of two bombproof commands that SAR workers need. It is also the command that often cures most other problems that dogs have such as barking, digging, destruction in the house, etc.

I use a Flexi leash (a retractable leash) to teach this. Some prefer a long line but I find that, especially for beginners at this kind of work, it tends to get tangled up in the dog’s feet and legs and slows down the training immensely.

I suggest that you not try this with your 6' leash. There's only a small difference to your dog between being 6' away from you and being right next to you. The retractable leash allows him to get 13'-15' away from you and the difference between that distance and being next to you is much more obvious to him. We want to make it as easy as possible for him to learn.

There are two types of retractable leashes available. One uses a string and the other uses a flat nylon strap as the leash. I recommend the latter as the first one can cause injuries, including rope burns and some even more serious. Be sure not to grab the line, with either type. If the dog takes off, you can get some burns on your hand. Use only the mechanism provided to stop and start the leash. If you wear shorts while you're training be sure not to let the leash rub against your leg. If the dog decides to take off running, you can get rope burns.

I recommend that you rig a loop of rope through the handle of the mechanism that will go around your wrist so that if the dog pulls the mechanism from your hand it's still attached to your wrist, just like a standard leash.

I recommend that you hold the Flexi in your right hand and the Ecollar transmitter in your left. This allows you to guide the dog into the heel position. Keep in mind that you’re not teaching the heel at this point, you’re teaching the recall. But if you gently guide the dog to your left side towards the latter phases of the training, as he comes in, it’s easier to make the transition to the heel.

I clip the Flexi to a non-correction collar, such as a buckle collar that’s snug enough so that the dog can’t back out of it. I prefer not to clip into any kind of a correction collar because I don’t want the dog getting a correction. In this training the leash is just used for gentle guidance. BUT, if your dog has the habit of pulling very hard on the leash and you lack the arm and hand strength to restrain him, you might consider using a pinch collar at first.

While the Ecollar strap has a D ring on it I recommend that you NOT clip the leash into it. If you do you'll pull the contact points to a different place on the dog’s neck every time he pulls on the leash and this could result in the dog feeling what he may perceive as different levels of stimulation. This is because different areas on the dog’s neck are more or less sensitive than other areas.

Once the Ecollar is adjusted to the proper tightness and the dog is on the Flexi, you’re ready to begin teaching the recall.

I prefer to use a different command than has been used in the past to avoid confusion to the dog. I usually use “here.” But you can use whatever word you like. This command will only mean “come near me and stay here.” It doesn't mean come to a heel position and it doesn't mean do a “come–fore”, where the dog comes to the handler and sits directly in front of him.

It’s used to bring the dog towards the handler so that he can check the dog or do something such as adjust a piece of equipment on the dog, the dog himself, or to redirect the dog to a new area. It can also be used to keep the dog a bit closer to the handler if he's ranging out too far.

You can train this, or any other behavior, in an area where there are lots of distractions but it’s easier on the dog and handler if you can keep them down to a dull roar. Take the dog to an area where there is plenty of open space available. I recommend that you do this during the day so that you can better see his responses to the stimulation. If you do this at night, you may find that there are many distractions present that you can't see, but that your dog does detect.

Let him wander out to the end of the Flexi and then press the continuous button. For the purpose of this exercise imagine that you’re standing in the center of a circle whose radius is the length of your Flexi. No matter what he does, use the leash to gently pull him towards you. How hard do you pull? About as hard as you’d push on a baby carriage to get and keep it moving. That is, just hard enough to get the dog to move. As soon as he starts to walk towards you, that is, he takes 4–5 steps in response to the pulling pressure of the Flexi, release the button. DO NOT stim him all the way in to you!

I suggest that you hold the Flexi in your right hand and have your left shoulder pointed towards the dog when you start the pull. Extend your right arm across your chest before you start the pull. This allows you to have 4’-6’ of pull (depending on the length of your arms) in one continuous motion. You can also face the dog and extend your arm straight in front of you. When you pull on the Flexi, extend your arm out the back. This is a bit harder than putting your left side towards the dog because the muscles that move your arm in that situation are stronger. Another advantage of the first method is that the dog is pulled towards your left side, the heeling side.

More than likely he'll think that the ground over there was hot or that something bit him (one of those superstitions) and he'll run past you and go to your other side of that circle that you’re standing in the middle of. As soon as he settles down and is at the end of your Flexi, press and hold the button again. Gently pull him towards you again. As soon as he takes 4–5 steps towards you, release the button. It may take a few minutes before he wanders out to the end of the Flexi again. If you stand around for more than 5 minutes and he hasn't gone all the way out, gently walk away from the direction that he’s facing such that you move away so he’s at the end of the Flexi again. Press and hold the button and guide the dog towards you again. When he’s taken those 4–5 steps towards you, release the button.

After a few minutes of this you may find that the dog comes and stands by you and doesn't wander off again. His superstition at this time is that “out there” at the end of the Flexi; the ground is “hot.” He knows that it’s uncomfortable and he doesn't want to be there. He may think that the center of the circle and/or near you is a “safe spot.” That’s OK for right now.

(NOTE: With a SAR [Search and Rescue] dog or a PSD [police service dog] it’s essential that this "safe spot" be eliminated. It’s never OK for them to persist in the belief that a safe spot exists beyond the very basic training. How to prevent this from persisting is explained in the article on Differences in the Training for Search Dogs.)

Walkaways

Next you do several things at once. Practice these without the dog beforehand. I’d suggest that you have someone else hold the Ecollar with the test light on it so they can tell you if your timing is good or not.

Practice until it is. You’re going to turn and walk away, at the same time pressing the button. It’s important that you walk in the opposite direction from where the dog is looking. Part of this is teaching him to pay attention to you and walking in another direction from where he’s looking will assist in this. A couple of things may happen. One is that he'll just sit there. He'll probably show a bit of confusion because what’s happening now is in conflict with the superstition that he’s just learned, that the center of the circle is the safe spot. If you reach the end of the Flexi continue walking and pressing the button. Remember that you may have to “bounce” on the button to keep the stimulation going. If you reach the end of the Flexi, keep walking and pull the dog towards you. As he increases his speed in response to this, release the button and stop walking. He should get to your position and stop.

If he continues to walk past you, immediately reverse your direction, and press the button. If he keeps going in the same direction he was headed he'll soon reach the end of the Flexi. Be aware that you'll probably have to bounce on the button so that the timer in the Ecollar doesn't shut off the stimulation. If you reach the end of the Flexi, use it to pull him towards you. When he takes 4–5 steps towards you in response to the pull, take your finger off the button. Repeat this until he’s turning to move with you every time you step off. At this time you can introduce the “here” command.

There’s nothing magic about the word “here.” If your dog has some training already and responds to the word “come” by coming to you, I suggest that you use a different word. Otherwise you’re liable to cause some confusion. "Here" doesn't mean come to a formal heel position. It doesn't mean come and sit in front of you. It will come to mean, “come towards me and stay near me.”

Now you’re going to do several things at the same time. The next time that you turn and walk away, press the button and say, “Here” at the same time. Three things happen at once. You turn and walk, you say “here” and you press the button. The dog should turn and walk with you. If he doesn't, you've gone a bit too fast. Back up until he’s walking with you reliably.

When the dog has started responding to the “here” command I like to guide the dog onto my left side because that very quickly turns into a “heel” command.

Is it Time to Move on?

How will you know when your first session is done? You'll either have Velcro dog (that probably won’t happen on the first time you try this because you’re timing won’t be perfect) or your dog will show you that he’s had enough. Any learning, no matter what the method or tool used causes stress in a dog. You'll notice after 30–40 minutes of work that you dog’s tongue is hanging out and he’s panting pretty hard. You haven’t run him enough for him to be this hot. This is stress showing itself. If the dog starts putting his tongue out to the side of his mouth he’s trying extra–hard to cool himself off. Now is a good time to stop. As with any other type of training, end with a success then reward your dog.

At this point it's time to move on to the sit as soon as possible. The dog may have come to think that you're the "safe spot" and that's undesirable except for some very rare situations. Moving quickly to the sit will teach the dog that this is not the case.

I don’t think that a SAR dog needs to learn a perfect heel. I think that a “walk by the handler on a loose leash without tripping him” is plenty. Because of his mission a police service dog needs a little bit more precision but still nothing as precise as what is required of competition dog.

Proofing the Recall

Before you start to proof the recall the dog should be at the start of what’s called “Velcro Dog.” That is he should stick to your leg as if he’s Velcro’d there. When you walk away he should quickly turn to go with you. He may be in the Heel position if you've been guiding him there. There are varying degrees of this, the extreme is that the dog pushes into your leg so hard that he pushes it out from under you as you move it forward to walk. You’re forced to push the dog away so that he doesn't trip you. It’s not necessary to go that far to get a good recall but it may happen anyway.

Proofing the behaviors

Each of the various behaviors (the recall, sit, down, place, etc.) that we train must be proofed. The basic proofing is similar for all of the behaviors; it just gets modified in its form slightly. You'll need at least five dog toys. I use a tennis ball, a Kong, a K-9 Frisbee a large bumper and a small bumper. Based on what you know of your dog you may already know which of these toys is his favorite. If not then just toss all of them out at once and see which one he goes for. That will be “Toy #1.” Pick up Toy #1 and put it away our of sight. Toss out all the toys again and see which one he goes for now. That will be “Toy #2.” Do this with all the toys until you have them all numbered. Your dog’s favorite toy is Toy #1 and his least favorite is Toy #5.

This is referred to as the “Hierarchy of Toys” and will be used throughout the training of all the behaviors. Be aware that the hierarchy may change; it’s not engraved in stone. If it does, just renumber your hierarchy.

To proof the recall you'll need an assistant to throw your Hierarchy of Toys. You can’t do it and handle the dog at the same time. You'll need an open area with a minimum of distractions. You're gong to be supplying your own in a carefully graduated method.

Imagine an isosceles triangle (one with two of the sides the same length) with the base, the side between you and your assistant of about 20 feet. The other two sides are about 30 feet.

Step One

Your assistant should stand about 20 feet to your right. This allows the dog who, is going to be in a rough heel position, to see you in his peripheral vision when he looks at your assistant. Where your assistant stands relative to you and your dog is important to this process.

For this training your dog should be on a six-foot leash. Give your dog a “here” command, even though he’s standing by your side. From now until the end of the proofing, he’s required to stand such that he’s within one dog body length of you. For very small dogs a couple of feet is the distance that he’s required to stay within. If he moves from this position you’re going to, at the same time, press and hold down the button and say “Here.” If the dog continues to leave your side, when he hits the end of the leash, give the command again and guide him back towards you. As soon as he’s affirmatively moving towards you release the button. Guide him back to your left side, a rough heel position.

Have your assistant get the dog’s attention, show him the toy and then throw Toy #5 (the dog’s LEAST favorite one) into a high arc so that it lands about thirty feet in front of both of you. (He'll throw slightly to his left). A perfect arc has the toy going about 20–30 feet into the air. If the dog holds his “here” command give him some light praise. Not so much that he breaks the command, just enough so that he knows he did the right thing.

Again, have the assistant get the dog’s attention and then he'll throw Toy #4 in the same manner as before. Repeat with the rest of the toys, ending with Toy #1, the dog’s favorite.

If the dog breaks and goes to chase one of the toys, have your assistant retrieve that one and work at that distraction level a couple of times. If the dog keep breaking the here command, either for one particular toy or any of them, turn up the stimulation level SLIGHTLY. His perception is clouded by the distraction and it will feel about the same to him as his “working level” of stimulation.

If you work through the entire Hierarchy of Toys praise your dog, again, not so much that he breaks the Here command but enough so that he knows he’s done well.

Step Two

Have your assistant retrieve all the toys and this time he'll stand about 20 feet to your left. This raises the level of distraction very slightly because now, when your dog looks at the assistant, you’re NOT in his peripheral vision and so he gets to do the work without the visual reminder of your presence.

Have your assistant throw the toys as before, beginning with Toy #5 and working down to toy #1, your dog’s favorite. Your duties are the same. If he holds the Here command Praise him warmly.

Step Three

This time your assistant will stand 20–30 feet in front of you. He'll throw the Hierarchy of Toys in a high arc, directly over your head, so they land about 20–30 feet behind you. At the top of the arc they'll be 15–20 feet over your head.

This is the hardest for the dog. At some point he'll probably turn his body to follow the travel of one of the toys. This is OK as long as he stays within a body length of you (or a couple of feet for a very small dog). But according to the old saying "when a dog’s body moves, his mind is free to follow." If he turns his body to follow a toy’s flight, as it goes over his head, be ready. He’s very likely to break on the next toy because it’s closer to his favorite and his body has already moved. If he holds his position, praise him warmly.

Additional Comments

It’s now up to you to take your dog to his favorite distractions and proof the recall off those. They may include cats, squirrels, deer, porcupines, skunks, the neighbor’s dog. I’d suggest using the Flexi leash for this as it gives the dog the opportunity to leave your side but still gives you the restraint if he doesn't recall.

As we've been doing all along. Walk along with your dog after having given him the “Here” command and give him the opportunity to make a mistake. If he does, do several things at once. Give the recall command, walk directly away from the distraction, press and hold the button as you guide him back towards you with the leash. If he turns away from the distraction, lift your finger off the button. If one of the distractions is a dog behind a fence, approach the dog’s yard so that you are on the other side of the street from the dog. As soon as your dog starts to walk ahead of you and opens up the distance between him and you, in response to seeing the dog, do an about turn, press and hold the button and guide the dog back to you with the leash. As soon as he’s moving affirmatively towards you, release the button.

Approach the distraction again and this time you'll probably be able to get closer. If the dog wanders towards the distraction, repeat as above. Soon, often in a matter of minutes, you'll be able to walk past the other dog so that your dog is inches from the fence, and he’s ignoring that other dog.

Keep in mind the essence of Ecollar training. Apply the stim, use gentle guidance to show the dog what you want done and then shut off the stim.

A Problem You May Create Yourself

There's a tendency, especially among beginners to dog training, to stop giving the dog stimulation if he's performing the movement that's being trained. They see that the dog is doing what they want, so they stop giving stims in spite of what the protocol describes. If you do this you'll probably create a problem for yourself that may be quite difficult to fix.

Remember that dogs "wanna do what dogs wanna do." Dogs have interests and motivations of their own. If your dog thinks that the stim only happens "sometimes," if one of his interests pop up, he may decide to gamble and see if it will happen this time. If this time is one of those times that you've decided not to give a stim you will have confirmed to your dog that once in a while he can do what he wants and that there aren't any consequences for failing to obey your command. This leads to an unreliable dog, one of the reasons that many people came to the Ecollar, to combat unreliability.

For this reason I recommend that you do as the protocol states, give a stim every time that you give the command and guide the dog into the proper behavior, whether he's performing or not. It's only a slight bit of discomfort, remember the flea bite; and you can shorten it so that it's delivered for less than a second; but at this stage of training it must be done or it will cause serious problems down the road. For more details on this refer to the article on Weaning the Dog off the Ecollar.

Working With Puppies

I recommend that the youngest you go with a puppy with an Ecollar is six months. Before that age, methods that are fun, non-compulsive, and keep the puppy happy are probably best. You want the puppy to have the attitude that "learning is FUN!" This is also discussed in the section on Finding Your Dog's Working Level of Stim.

One of the most difficult challenges in working with the Ecollar is working with a puppy. Puppies are the hardest because everything is new to them. Their distraction level is very low one second and then will peak the next. There’s very little in between. Everywhere they look they find something new and interesting. This can make it difficult to find their working level because they're distracted by so much and so often.

Before you can work with a puppy you have to wait for him to calm down a bit and perhaps even get bored with the new environment and circumstances. Sometimes after they get bored they'll just lie down. If they’re not facing you, you'll need to move so that you can see their eyes. I suggest that you lock the Flexi so that it doesn't exert the slight pull of the retracting spring as you walk around them. Unlock the Flexi when you get to the new position. Most puppies will have been walked on a leash before you start the training. If they feel the pull coming from a new direction they'll probably get up and walk with you. This means new distractions will pop up as he moves along and you'll have to wait for the puppy to calm down again.

Sometimes they tend to be highly reactive. Some will try to ignore the stim until it’s impossible for them to do so, and then they'll jump and vocalize. You can prevent this by making sure that you can see the puppy's face when you're pressing the button because sometimes they'll just change expression or their eyes will blink with every press, rather than some overt change, such as an ear flick.

To find their working level I try to work them someplace that’s familiar to them so that they've explored everything already. Sometimes you have to stand in one spot for 10-15 minutes before they stop exploring and settle down.

Sometimes it’s impossible to find the pup’s working level with the usual method even though you've followed all of the above advice and have crept up and down the power levels. He may be one of those that ignore the stimulation until it’s impossible for him to ignore it any longer because it’s gone too high. In those cases I'll set the Ecollar just below the level where almost all dogs feel it and start the training. On the Dogtra 1200 that’s at about the letter “L” of the word “low.” On the newer models that’s about the number “20.” I'll set the dial about 1/4" below those levels. If after about ten minutes he’s not showing any response to the training, I'll bump the level up a TINY amount and continue. When he starts showing progress, I've found his level.

It takes great patience to work puppies. But it’s great seeing their progress!

Common Problems

The “by a person” superstition, also known as the “by a person safe spot” can occasionally lead the dog to try and see if going to a stranger will shut off the stim. If this occurs, walk towards the dog and the person, holding down the button (you may have to bounce on the button to keep the stim on) as you repeat the command “here” over and over. When you get to the dog gently pull him towards you and when he complies, shut off the stim. This will teach him that the only thing that shuts off the stim is going to you.

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