If you're beginning-teaching the recall to a puppy and he either isn't coming or is getting distracted partway there, then it means you aren't close enough to keep him un-distracted or that you are not his best bet at that moment. You can change that!


You know that the marker sessions should be very short, right? Like 5 minutes or less ....


Frequency and not length of sessions .... that's your friend.

actually, i DID start recall from a step away and probably moved on too fast. i forgot that we used to do recall on the regular leash.

so how do i know when to move on? and how much do i move on?

when do i move from 1 step to 2 steps? how do i know he's ready?

yeah)))) we are outside for 2 hours so we play and then every 20-30 mins we do a few mins of commands.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

If you're beginning-teaching the recall to a puppy and he either isn't coming or is getting distracted partway there, then it means you aren't close enough to keep him un-distracted or that you are not his best bet at that moment. You can change that!

got it))))) i will try it tonight. so any time he doesn't come i'm doing something wrong? if i'm doing this right he should come EVERY TIME?

You proof by VERY gradually and slowly adding the distraction(s) at a level and distance that does not affect the dog's ability to pay attention to you.

If it means controlling your (and the dog's) distance from the distraction, do that.


This is about proofing (very general, same for marker training as other methods):

QUOTE
"When you begin training your dog to do something new, you usually start off in an area that's fairly quiet with very low distraction. Once your dog is able to respond quickly to a command in this setting, it is time to add some distractions and new settings. Do this slowly, and work on adding one new thing at a time.

Let's look then at how you would proof a "down." Practice the down until your dog is able to respond to the down command fairly quickly. Then begin to slowly add new things. You can start by adding some distraction. Have another family member come in the room. Practice several times, and then turn on the television while you practice the down. Slowly add more distracting things to his environment - other dogs, running children, loud noises - while practicing the down.

Once your dog is able to lie down quickly on command with some distraction, begin practicing in different places - another room, the backyard, the neighbor's house. Keep each training session to about 10 minutes, and stay upbeat. If your dog begins making mistakes, go back to the last time he was responding quickly to the command.

After you have practiced a behavior with different amounts of distraction and in a variety of locations, your dog should have a really good grasp of the behavior. He should now be able to perform the behavior as well at the park as he does it in your living room. Once you've gotten to this point, the behavior is proofed!" END


When you read this, where they say "down" you substitute "sit." See how gradual it is? You can work out different ways in your head for adding in, one tiny step at a time, all kinds of distractions.


from http://dogs.about.com/od/dogtraining/a/proofing.htm

 Quote: Natalie Rynda

actually, i DID start recall from a step away and probably moved on too fast. i forgot that we used to do recall on the regular leash.

so how do i know when to move on? and how much do i move on?

when do i move from 1 step to 2 steps? how do i know he's ready?

You know because you were doing perfectly at one step (or whatever).

thank you so much, that's what i was looking for (the quote about proofing)

 Quote: Natalie Rynda

thank you so much, that's what i was looking for (the quote about proofing)

Good!

You'll probably understand why I thought you were way too focused on corrections when you should be proofing (and you thought proofing meant corrections).

Remember that you do not even add the tiniest distraction or venue change until all is great at NO distractions. That is, you start a command indoors in a room with no street frontage, just you and the dog.

Even moving it to a doorway can be a distraction-level. Or to have a person pass by the door of the room you are in.

And to go outdoors where all the sights and sounds and squirrels and cars and dogs are .,... right there, you have added in a load of distractions.

And the recall is the same. Do it indoors where there is no distraction but where you are still playing and being his best source of fun, rewards, and happiness. Don't even TRY it outside until you have it going fabulously in every single room, THEN from one room to another, and so on.

If you learn to thoroughly proof each command, then you will have learned what most owners never do learn.

The post Connie referred to is excellent advice.
If the "Come" command isn't solid the the dog shouldn't be off the leash, even in your own yard if you plan on calling him. If your just sitting in the yard and the dog comes to you without a command it's still reward worthy.
"Come" should be the most exciting and happiest command a dog can hear and have the best reward available.
Every single time your dog refuses a command of any sort it only teaches it that the command can be ignored. Never allow that to happen!
Marker train!

Hi, Natalie. Connie is doing a good job at guiding you. I did note a couple of things that, IMHO, shouldn't be overlooked.

1. Motivated returns are much quicker and more enthusiastic than compulsive returns. For that reason, I train the recall with markers, and I NEVER pull the dog back to me.
* You can increase motivation and compliance by adjusting the timing of the mark. At first, mark as soon as the dog turns to you. Once he consistently complies, withhold the mark until he gets closer or until his attention wavers, and use that mark to increase his enthusiasm to get to you. By increasing the delay, you can eventually add other behaviors to the end of the original "come".

2. I was trying to teach my dog an auto-sit at the door, thinking that she knew the behavior and that she should know she had to sit. If I waited, she sat, just as you described your dog. However, I found the problem was me; I was doing exactly what you say in this quote.

 Quote: Natalie Rynda

also, sometimes, VERY RARELY, i don't make him sit (if there's a dog outside, or neighbors, or i have heavy large garbage bags in my hands)

What I have found is that I can't expect her to automatically perform a behavior if I'M not consistent with showing her what I want.