Behaviour and training problems are often directly linked to the expression of normal behaviour patterns of the domestic dog, but what is “normal” domestic dog behaviour?

This one day seminar explores the true nature of dogs, how their inherited patterns of behaviour contribute directly to their ability to cope with modern life, why training and behaviour problems develop and the principles that can be applied to change those behaviours for the benefit of dog and owner alike. Including case studies, anecdotes and the opportunity for audience discussion.

You can book your place by completing the attached form and sending to Michelle Roughley at Dogs Trust, or by emailing Michelle at michelle.roughley@dogstrust.org.uk

The event will be held on Saturday 13th November 2010 in Woking, Surrey

“Stop!” How to Control Predatory Chase Behaviour

4th September

A good trainer or behaviour counsellor needs to be able to address inappropriate predatory chase behaviour swiftly and effectively. This seminar is an in depth study of the reasons for the problem, the more effective solutions and how to alter the behaviour, suitable for those studying at BSc level.

If you attended the event, you can download the handout here.

The Holistic Nature of Canine Behaviour Problems.

5th September

Exploring the nature of dogs, how they maintain emotional equilibrium, why they fall into problem behaviours and the principles behind some simple solutions, this presentation includes case studies, anecdotes and the opportunity for audience discussion.

If you attended the event, you can download the handout here.

Bookings are being taken for either or both days at
http://www.positiveanimalsolutions.co.uk/davidryan.html

The same principles work for any size dog or person. A full explanation of how to stop a dog jumping up is contained in my new book Dog Secrets.

Why Won’t “Dominance” Die?

Many leading animal behaviourists are concerned that the “dominance” model of pet dog behaviour continues to survive, despite the accumulating evidence that it is at best unhelpful and at worst highly detrimental.

It is easy to see why trainers and owners alike are fond of the concepts of “pack” and “dominance” in relation to pet dogs. A pack means we’re all part of the same gang. “Dominance” explains our respective positions in that pack. We live in a pack with our pet dogs and they either dominate us or we dominate them. To be at the top of the pack with total dominance would make you the “alpha”, with all the esteem that entails, therefore dogs will strive for dominance unless you beat them to it. It’s a neat explanation.

Except that none of it actually bears scientific scrutiny. Prof Richard Dawkins described self replicating ideas as “memes”⁽¹⁾ that live in our minds and pass from one to another through no reason other than their popularity, or catchiness. Some are harmless, like that annoying song you keep humming long after you’ve decided you hate it, but others can be positively harmful, like the idea that combined MMR jabs cause autism, which continues to prevent many children benefiting from the protection they provide.

The “pack” and “dominance” theory of domestic dogs is a harmful meme. It prevents many owners understanding their dogs, causes untold misery for both and is perpetuated by well-meaning but uninformed dog trainers around the world. It is proving extremely resistant to extinction.

Origin Of Dominance Theory

This meme originated in the “dogs are wolves” theory in the late 1960s. It was spawned in the pond of genetics from the premise that if a dog is the same species as the wolf they must behave identically. The perceived wisdom at the time, emanating from L. David Mech’s book, The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species⁽²⁾, was that wolves pack and dominate each other, therefore dogs must also pack and dominate each other. The theories of wolf and dog “dominance” and the “alpha” firmly entered the imagination of not only the public, but also the scientific community. As a police dog handler in the 1980s I regularly tried to “dominate” my dogs using the best available scientific model.

However, as science advances our viewpoint changes and in Mech’s case, as he points out in his 2008 article Whatever Happened to the Term Alpha Wolf?⁽³⁾ more rigorous examination of wild living wolves revealed that their social behaviour was centred on the family unit, built around cohesion and co-operation, not conflict. A fight for pack dominance would mean striving to displace one parent in order to mate with the other. The model of the wolf’s supposed fight for dominance and alpha status was replaced with one where parents and older siblings guide and lead younger offspring in order to enhance overall genetic fitness.

In 1999 Mech published Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs⁽⁴⁾, in which he corrected his earlier mistaken ideas. He happily reports that in the 2003 book Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation⁽⁵⁾ written by twenty three authors and edited by Mech and Boitani, the term “alpha” is only ever mentioned to explain why it has been superseded.

Studies Of The Domestic Dog

At the same time, studies of the domestic dog have also moved on. It has been well established that the social behaviour of the domestic dog is unlike that of the wolf. The domestic dog is a neotonised version of the wolf-type ancestor, a specialised variant that evolved into a newly formed environmental niche to scavenge the domestic waste of human settlements. These adaptations removed the need to operate as a true wolf pack and consequently there is little collaboration in hunting or in care of offspring, but much more cooperation with strangers, dog or human. Although dogs congregate in groups around resources, they do not form packs in the cohesive family way that wolves still do.

The concept of “dominance” itself has never been a quality of an individual, but the product of a relationship. Ethologists label an animal dominant over another once there is a trend towards the second animal deferring in encounters between the two. I can no more be born dominant than I could be born chairman. Because I can never be dominated if I don’t allow myself to be, dominance can only be the result of deference by others.

Preferences will become established in repeated encounters, but pet dog relationships are far too complicated to be defined through a simple, “one individual dominates another”. A smooth relationship is one in which each knows the other’s preferences and defers accordingly. This is often described in terms of resource holding potential⁽⁶⁾, but the important aspect of it is that it is emergent, not the result of pre-programmed “dominance”.

What we are witnessing in so-called “dominant” dogs is natural behaviour that has been modified through learning. Sometimes this behaviour is competitive in nature, but the majority of so called “dominance-related” problems are simply dogs behaving in a way that conflicts with owners’ expectations.

These conflicting behaviours are the result of the dog trying to secure something they know is going to have a positive emotional benefit – to facilitate a reward or avoid something unpleasant. How we deal with the way those emotions are satisfied determines our relationship with our dogs.

Individual dogs can be placed anywhere along the bold/shy continuum that exists in all species. In shy individuals behaviour that does not meet owners’ expectations is likely to be tinged with fear and in bold individuals the behaviour is likely to be joyously unrestrained. Most dogs’ behaviour will be a complex mixture of these two extremes.

Pet-ification

That complexity is increased because our pets do not continue to live in their original state as peripheral scavengers. They have been refined through selective breeding for specific purposes such as hunting, herding and guarding. By enhancing traits present in the original stock, humans have created dogs whose emotional balance depends on being able to fulfil their desire to exhibit these inherited predispositions, at least to some degree.

Although the working traits of these types are reduced during “pet-ification” – the breeding of more amenable individuals that are more suited to life as a pet (witness the current “pet-ification” of the Border Collie from a working animal) – the breeding stock continues to throw up specimens in which the original working temperament is strongly represented. This may be a predisposition to chase moving objects, to nip heels, to use aggression to solve conflict, to hold something in the mouth, or any other working breed disposition. The need to perform these behaviours, and their dissatisfaction when they are unable to do so, can steer pet dogs into conflict with their owners.

Family life can also be remarkably inconsistent for a pet, and dogs may focus their efforts on resources that are extremely important to them, but not necessarily to the owner. Lack of consistency proves to the dog that they are capable of deciding the outcome of many, albeit small, interactions. Add in the effects of either a bold or shy character, and other inherited predispositions that need to be satisfied, and you have a dog that can be extremely resistant to their owner’s efforts to control their behaviour.

If, as was the case when I was a young police dog handler, this behaviour is labelled as “dominant”, the perceived solution is to out-dominate the dog and bend them to your will. This often involved things like rolling them over and holding them down, or shaking them by the scruff. In dogs where the lack of compliance is motivated by frustration at being unable to fulfil inherited needs, or  where the motivation is fear, such as when the dog has developed a fear of being left by the owner, applying misguided ideas of dominance will increase that frustration and fear, and with it the probable use of aggression. Less confrontationally, standing in the dog’s bed to show them who is in charge will do little to prevent them barking when the owner is on the telephone, but it similarly fails to address the underlying emotional issues.

Dominance – The Meme

Scientific enquiry shows us that the “dominance” model is unsubstantiated. A recent paper from Bristol University⁽⁷⁾ is the latest to try to illuminate the construct if not for the general public, then at least for the professionals still left using it.

So why then does it persist? In part it is the “catchiness” of the meme sticking in the mind. In part it is also because, whilst the majority of practitioners at the highest levels are aware that it is inaccurate and unhelpful, and sometimes positively harmful, some are still advocating its use.

It could be that there are vested interests in continuing to promulgate “dominance” – books and DVDs to sell – and a reluctance to change one’s standpoint from the embarrassment of appearing to have been wrong. However, this shouldn’t stand in the way of informed change; as Keynes famously said, “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?”

In part it is because there are still papers being published that profess to be able to examine the concept, such as a recent offering from Cordoba University⁽⁸⁾. There was a more recent article in Veterinary Times⁽⁹⁾ pleading for the practice of evidence based medicine. The reasoning applies no less to the behaviour modification of pet dogs, and the Cordoba paper is a good example of why. Critical evaluation shows that it starts from an assumption, “Dominance aggression is the most common form of aggression…” and then compounds the error by allowing pet owners to define it in their dogs through the choice of two photographs of “dominant” and “fearful” expressions. Out of a total of thirty references only eight are post 2000, and four of them are the own author’s. The paper’s data analysis is also basic and shows associations rather than causation, but nevertheless some professionals feel able to use it to prop up their views.

In part it persists because it is still “seen to be working”. It makes good television to go head to head and dominate a dog.

Unfortunately, television is not real life and tends to show short interactions where the dog is forced to submit. It is not impossible for a “handy” owner to repeatedly force their dog into submission either, but these unpleasant and unnecessary measures are not how most pet owners want to live with their dogs. Lamentably the high profile of these programmes means the on-screen warning “do not try this at home” is often not heeded.

The final and probably most important reason for the persistence of “dominance” is because the debunking of the myth is relatively new. It is generally said to take twenty years for new science to permeate the public conscious, but now its time has come. More and better research is being conducted and more practitioners are, like Keynes, changing their mind as the facts change. More members of the public are actually seeing that there are better alternatives, and more and more people are realising that whilst the meme might be “catchy” it isn’t actually very satisfying.

“Why Won’t Dominance Die?”

The use of the model to explain dog behaviour is dying. If memes can be said to have an independent existence, we are witnessing the death throes of this one as it struggles to hang on to what little life it has left, existing only in the minds of the most stubborn or self-interested. As the groundswell of informed opinion moves against it, there will eventually be no hiding places left.

References

1. Dawkins, R. (1989) The Selfish Gene (new edition). Oxford, Oxford University Press.
2. Mech, L.D. (1970) The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species. Minnesota, University of Minnesota Press.
3. Mech, L.D. (2008) Whatever happened to the term Alpha wolf?
   http://www.wolf.org/wolves/news/iwmag/2008/winter/alphawolf.pdf accessed 29th September 2009
4. Mech, L.D. (1999) Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 77(8): 1196–1203
5. Mech, L.D. & Boitani, L. (2003) Wolf social ecology. 1–34 in:  Mech, L.D. & Boitani, L. (eds) Wolves: Behavior, Ecology and Conservation. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
6. Parker, G.A. (1974) Assessment strategy and the evolution of animal conflicts. Journal of Theoretical Biology. 47. 223–243.
7. Bradshaw, J.W.S, Blackwell, E.J. & Casey R.A. (2009) Dominance in domestic dogs—useful construct or bad habit? Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research. 4 (3) 135-144.
8. Peres-Guisado, J. & Munoz-Serrano, A. (2009). Factors linked to dominance aggression in dogs. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances. 8 (2) 336-342.
9. Elsheikha, H.M. & Rossano M.G. (21st September 2009) Evidence-based approach is wise. Veterinary Times.

Note: An edited version of this article first appeared in the Veterinary Times Vol 40 No 7, 22nd February 2010 under the title “Dominance meme: out-lived extreme?” David Ryan

There is no mystical “secret” to training dogs, as professed by some dog trainers. Dog training and owning can be perfected through simple yet effective methods that are well known to science. Illustrated by real life examples of how they have helped others, Dog Secrets explains how understanding these methods can make you a better dog trainer and have a more rewarding relationship with your dog.

If you’ve enjoyed David’s talks, articles, or first book, you should check out his new book today.

What really surprised me were the people who profess to be professional dog trainers, or even worse the self-styled “behaviourists” who don’t understand dogs. Passing by “surprised” I quickly found myself “astounded”, and then careered round the corner into “annoyed”. Astounded at the explanations they come up with, and annoyed at the suffering they inflict on dogs and their owners in the name of their fanciful theories.

Understanding dogs, what they are, and why they do the things they do, gives an insight into what makes them tick. Understanding how they are affected by the things we do enables us to train, and live with, our pets more effectively.

These are the “Dog Secrets” that your dog wishes you knew.

There is no mystical “secret” to training dogs, as professed by some dog trainers. Dog training and owning can be perfected through simple yet effective methods that are well known to science. Illustrated by real life examples of how they have helped others, Dog Secrets explains how understanding these methods can make you a better dog trainer and have a more rewarding relationship with your dog.

“Dog Secrets” the book is out now.

Dogs evolved from wolf-like creatures about 10-12,000 years ago, by exploiting the new ecological niche formed by the permanent habitations of human agriculturalists. When some humans moved from hunter-gathering to a more settled farming community, their waste products became an exploitable food source. In order to take advantage of that niche, proto-wolf/dogs had to stay long enough to consume more calories than extreme fearfulness cost through running away. The proto-dogs with less tendency to run away when humans appeared prospered at the dump, whilst the proto-wolves ran away.

Dogs domesticated themselves by natural selection through breeding together with other dogs that also didn’t run away from the dump.

We know from experiments with silver foxes that breeding together less fearful individuals (those with “reduced flight distance”) results in paedomorphosis: the retention of juvenile characteristics into adulthood. As well as increasing “friendliness”, paedomorphosis has a number of allied effects: floppy ears, curly tails, piebald coats and the tendency to bark.

Undomesticated canids rarely, if ever, bark. Most close-to wild canid communication is through marvellously animated body language, posture and expression.

The physical shape of domestic dogs impoverishes their body language compared to their wilder relatives. It is further diminished by breeding dogs with squashed and wrinkled faces, pendulous ears, drooping dewlaps, tightly curled tails, hair over their eyes, solid coloured coats, undershot and overshot jaws. We breed them like this. We breed dogs that find it very difficult to communicate in the way their fellow canids would understand it. This comparative lack of expression makes it even more difficult for them to communicate with another species; especially one that isn’t watching them most of the time.

Most scientific experiments place domestic dog barks into about six groups of communication: fear, anger, frustration, loneliness, pleasure and excitement. If a dog spontaneously barks, it will be for one of those reasons.

A recent study developed a computer programme that could distinguish these groups of barks from each other, but only with a 43% success rate, which sounds quite poor, until they tested the same barks on human listeners, who could only tell them apart 40% of the time. This is a spectacularly poor method of communicating, if it is effective only 4 times in 10.
But what does barking do for dogs? It makes us look at them. It adds emphasis to their more usual canine communication.
We have undoubtedly selectively bred guard dogs to enhance their tendency to bark, but perhaps we’ve unconsciously bred all dogs to use barking as a method of drawing attention to their body language.

If our dog stares at the front door, body stiff, eyes wide and lips curled, would we know that a car had pulled up outside if they didn’t bark as well?

• If dogs didn’t live with us they wouldn’t have developed the paedomorphic tendency to bark.
• If we hadn’t impoverished their body language they wouldn’t need to bark to tell other dogs that they are excited or angry.
• If we paid their real communication more attention, they wouldn’t need to shout to make themselves understood.

Dogs only bark because they live with us.

Why be Afraid?

To appreciate what is happening to dogs that are afraid of fireworks we must examine why they are afraid.
Firstly, some dogs are genetically more prone to anxiety. They are genetically less confident than others and may have a predisposition to acquire specific fears like noise phobias.

Secondly, the fear of loud bangs and the accompanying flashes of light is a normal adaptive behaviour in dogs. All species have their own version of fear of the unknown and we are all pre-programmed to be afraid of anything not familiar in our environment.

Fear of fireworks is normal dog behaviour. It serves to stimulate a response to take the dog away from the threatening noise and flashes.

Afraid of What?

To understand how to combat the fear, we must look at exactly what dogs are afraid of, from their point of view.

The first time dogs are frightened by a specific stimulus their senses go into overdrive. They have a heightened awareness of everything around them, caused by arousal of their sympathetic autonomic nervous system, sometimes known as the “fight or flight” response. Because of this hyper-vigilance, they are starkly aware of things associated with the feared stimulus and can generalise the fear to them as well.

With firework phobia this causes the dog to include all the other sensory aspects of fireworks in their generalised fear. So, although the noise is the most relevant part of the feared stimulus, dogs will incorporate other parts of the composite stimulus, including light flashes, the smell of fireworks and the sound wave vibrations carried through the ground. Each one of the parts of the composite stimulus contributes to the building of the whole fear. It may be that your dog has also picked up on other aspects that are not necessarily otherwise linked to fireworks, for example the particular place where they first heard them.

The Problem

Dogs have three basic strategies for dealing with fear: hiding, running away or fighting. However, you can’t fight firework noise by biting it; home is the safest place you can be, so there is nowhere to run; and even if you hide, you can still hear it!

When fireworks frighten them, dogs don’t know when the next bang is going to happen and have no way of coping with the fear it causes. They can’t predict it, control it, or escape it.

This becomes a major source of anxiety for many dogs, resulting in symptoms ranging from depression, through panic attacks, to aggression. Dogs that fear fireworks may also generalise that fear to other noises, becoming oversensitive and generally noise phobic.

This can reduce their quality of life and also place severe stress on their owners.

The Solution

There are two parts to the solution. The first is to have a strategy in place so that your dog is better able to cope when fireworks go off, and the second is to place “fireworks” within the scope of things that are normal in the environment, so they no longer cause fear. Remember we are always dealing with the composite stimulus, which may differ from dog to dog as each one has picked up on the individual parts most relevant to them.

Part One – Anxiety Reduction

A month before the fireworks season starts:

On the day of the fireworks:

When the fireworks start:

DON’T:

DO:

Part Two – Desensitisation and Counter Conditioning to Firework Noise

The processes of desensitisation and counter conditioning are used to help dogs with specific fears like fireworks.

One of the reasons that dogs become afraid of fireworks is that they only happen for a short period each year. They don’t have time to understand that the noise is doing them no harm before it stops, only to start again the next year. If firework noise happened all year round, dogs would eventually be able to understand it actually does no harm. It would become a normal part of their environment.

Before starting a programme of desensitisation and counter conditioning, the strategies outlined in part one must be in place for your dog to cope if there are unforeseen firework noises (like a neighbour unexpectedly having a party).

Desensitisation

This is a matter of introducing the feared stimulus at an intensity that is insufficient to cause the fear reaction. It means that we need to make the firework noise very quietly, so your dog just notices it, but does not react. First we need a recording of firework noise; play it at the lowest volume, possibly in a different room if the player volume doesn’t go low enough.

If your dog displays a fear response, it is too high and we are making the problem worse. The idea is that it should become unimportant background noise. Only play the CD when there is someone in the house, so you can monitor your dog’s reaction, but the more often it is played, the faster the programme can progress.

Slowly, over the next months, increase the volume very slightly each week, but never high enough for your dog to be worried about it. If there is any kind of fear reaction, stop immediately and reduce the volume back two weeks.

Counter Conditioning

Your dog currently associates firework noise with fear. The fear is conditioned to the firework noise. The idea of counter conditioning is to associate the firework noise with an emotion other than, and incompatible with, fear.

To do this, turn the recording up slightly when your dog is feeding. Eating is incompatible with fear, so if we are able to adjust the volume so that your dog is able to hear it, but still wants to eat, the firework noise will become conditioned to the pleasant emotion of eating instead of fear.

Likewise turn the recording up when playing games with your dog. We want the noise to predict having a good time, so it should be loud enough for your dog to hear and then do its favourite thing. If your dog doesn’t like to play games, save some favourite food treats (something very special, not just ordinary food) for the times when the recording is increased.

Like in the desensitisation phase, increase the volume a little at a time, taking care never to stimulate a fear response. The increases should be so slight that your dog isn’t even aware of it happening.

Progress

Once your dog is able to experience the recording at what we would consider a normal volume, start playing it out of the context, both in the desensitisation and the counter conditioning phases. Play it at very low volume in the car – play it louder if your dog is excited about going somewhere.

Play it at random times and volumes – there is never any harm in lowering the volume occasionally. Play it at times when your dog expects to have fun. Make the noise a reliable predictor of positive emotions.

Other Parts of the Composite Stimulus

Vibrations: –
You can desensitise and counter condition the dog to the effects of vibrations travelling through the ground by taking it for walks near a road used by heavy vehicles, or a railway station. If your dog is nervous of heavy traffic, stop occasionally and give food treats, or walk towards an exciting destination.

Flashing Lights: -
At times other than when the recording is playing, switch off the lights and play a torch beam around the darkened room whilst counter conditioning your dog with food or games. If your dog is extremely fearful of the light, only slightly darken the room and use a small torch, building up to a bigger stimulus as they desensitise.

Firework Smell: -
Likewise, you can desensitise and counter condition your dog to the smell of fireworks by collecting some spent ones in a box (make sure they are totally spent) and placing it near to them whilst they are eating.

Finally

Bring all these individual parts of the composite firework stimulus together, slowly and carefully – we still do not want to stimulate a fear response!

Bring out the spent fireworks, turn up the volume on the recording, switch off the lights and play the torchlight round the room. This is the nearest thing we can get to simulating the full firework experience. Try to do this regularly, so your dog gets used to it being part of the environment, otherwise we are back to square one.

This programme is extremely protracted and the best results are from owners who take great care in administering it meticulously. Each dog is individual but even in the easiest cases progress will be measured in months, rather than day.

Photo Credit: parvindersingh

“Stop!” – How to control predatory chasing in dogs

To get your dog to come back every time, you have to be more interesting than anything else on earth. A tall order perhaps? Yes, but certainly achievable.

Let’s start with how your dog perceives you in everyday life. Are you the apple of their eye, or can they wrap you around their little pad? Does your dog consider that you are someone to look up to, or do they ignore you when they feel like it? Do you provide affection when they demand it; can you be provoked into a response whenever they try hard enough? Do you have to repeat commands? Is their response variable depending upon what they are doing? If your dog thinks that they are controlling your relationship, they will not pay attention when you ask.  If they can take what you provide whenever they want, why should they come back because you say so? What’s in it for them? The answer should be “affection” or at least “attention”. If the answer is “nothing”, then your dog doesn’t value your affection and attention sufficiently, and you may need to re-examine your relationship.

Once you have your relationship on the right footing, you might just find that your dog pays you more attention generally and is far more inclined to come when called anyway. You might need to do no more than that for a better recall!

Most dogs, however, will benefit from learning a new set of rules about coming back when called and it isn’t rocket science, or a ’secret’, just plain ordinary training that all dogs can understand. To do that you will need to understand how dogs learn so that you can implement the training in a way that will work quickly, and work for you.

The first stage will be to teach your dog what ‘come’ really means. It means ‘if you come here you will be rewarded for it’, and like all dog training it is best started in a place with no distractions. Indoors is best to achieve fluency before generalising to the outdoors and this training is one of the best games you can play…

The Recall Game

To teach Sandy to come back, and have fun doing it, you will need Sandy, two or more human players and some tasty doggie treats.

• Ben takes hold of Sandy’s collar and holds it tight with one hand.
• Maisie shows Sandy a treat and runs away into another room.
• When out of sight, Maisie calls Sandy’s name and the chosen recall word – how about “Come” or “Here”?
• Ben lets Sandy go and she rushes into the other room to find Maisie.
• When she arrives, Maisie takes hold of Sandy’s collar and then gives her the treat (and cuddles and praise).
• After Sandy has eaten the treat (small ones so she just gets a taste and wants more!) Maisie continues to hold her collar and Ben shows her a treat.
• Ben then runs away to another room and calls whilst Maisie holds her.
• When she runs to Ben, he too takes hold of her collar before rewarding her.
• Turn it into a game of hide and seek, moving each time, so Sandy has to really look for the hidden person to get the reward.
• Play for as long as Sandy really wants the treat (stop before she gets too full up).

The recall game teaches Sandy to come when called, and not to mind her collar being touched, because both things predict a nice outcome. When Sandy is really good at the recall game, play it in the garden, or on walks.

The Dark Side

It’s understandable that people get very frustrated and angry when their dog doesn’t come back when called. However, when their owner is angry, a dog can tell from their body language and tone of voice that all is not well, and will be even less likely to want to go back to them. So, how do we go about convincing the dog that you are the best thing on offer? By never punishing a dog when they return, no matter how long you have been waiting, shouting and worrying, and always rewarding the dog when they come to you, however long it takes. Punishing includes smacking or hitting, shouting or berating, frowning or scowling, or even just ignoring.

Things to Make Your Dog Want to Come Back

Even if you have played the recall game and your dog is very good indoors, you will still have to compete with distractions outdoors. These are some things that you might consider to help keep yourself the most interesting thing on offer:

Rewards – Rewards can be praise, food treats, playing a game or with a toy, or cuddles. Use a high value reward for coming back outdoors. If you use dog biscuits indoors, use sausage outdoors.

Get Attention – If you haven’t got your dog’s attention, they won’t come. Use your dog’s name, clap or whistle (high pitches are more attractive to dogs than low ones); use exciting tones; crouch down to dog-height; lie on your back and wave your legs in the air if necessary, but get your dog’s attention!

Feedback – Once they start to come, praise, praise, praise. They’re not here yet, but they’re heading in the right direction!

Unpredictability – Don’t be a predictable bore on your walks.
Hide behind a tree or in a gateway; your dog will come and find you! The relief from the anxiety of losing you and the praise you heap on them will be a huge reward.
Run away. Just run in the opposite direction and your dog will come with you (it might be missing out on something). Both of these strategies will encourage your dog to keep one eye on you, as they don’t know what to expect.

Practice – Practice recalls on walks. Randomly call your dog, give them a reward and send them off again. Call them, clip on the lead, reward them and let them go again.

Think about the times when you call your dog. Home-time, end of the walk, to stop it meeting another dog/person, to stop it chasing something, to stop it eating or even sniffing something. From your dog’s point of view, being called often predicts the loss of something. It is an event that they associate with a negative outcome. You can change that by introducing positive associations.

Play – Playing games of any kind on your walks is a sure-fire way of keeping your dog’s attention. Practising some obedience is fun if there is a reward in it and it helps to increase your dog’s positive view of a recall.

Don’t grab – your dog as they run past. This won’t teach them anything except to give you a wider berth next time. Wait until they voluntarily come right up to you, take hold of their collar and reward.

Failsafe – If you really have no confidence that your dog will come back off the lead, you can practice on lead at first, or you can attach a long line (strong washing line?) to your dog’s collar and tie the other end to something sturdy, then play the recall game in a field. When your dog is very good at that, untie the other end of the line and play with it dragging on the ground. Your dog will still feel under control, but is free for a gallop (you can catch the end of the line in an emergency). As your dog becomes more dependable, cut the line in half, then half again and eventually there will be no line at all.

Conclusion

The more positively your dog views you and the keener they are to interact with you at any time, the more likely they will come back whenever you call them.