Why is my gundogs recall so bad? - Most Common Mistakes
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Remember mistakes are just lessons we learn from....
Welcome, fellow gundog lovers! If you are wondering “why is my gundogs recall so bad?” then you are in the right place. No matter if you’re stressing and struggling to teach your gundog to come when called, embarking on setting foundations for a new journey with a playful puppy or rescue gundog, or striving to perfect an almost-there recall, you’ve landed on the path to some great advice.
The art of recall: more than a command
Recall, as we gundog lovers know, is that magical moment when you utter your gundogs name, and they bound towards you, tail wagging, ready for the next adventure. It’s like summoning a superhero to your side, and
every gundog owner dreams of having this power at their fingertips like their own superpower!
Diving deeper: What recall isn’t
Before we plunge further into the art of recall, let’s set the record straight. There’s no room for judgment here – we’ve all been there, me included with my very first gundog. Remember that time when you thought your gundog had a solid recall, but they seemed to be taking cues from squirrels and butterflies rather than your voice?
Recall, my friends, should never be a game of chance. True recall is a masterpiece of obedience, connection and joy where your gundog rushes back to you 100% of the time, unwavering, amidst the enchantment of darting deer, playful rabbits, fluttering birds, and the call of their fellow canine friends. Even the most tantalising of scents become secondary to the bond they share with you when you’ve perfected recall training.
I won’t lie, a really solid recall takes work but it is totally achievable, however I commonly see the same mistakes being made that keep owners from achieving their recall goals
Remember to keep it fun, Faith gets super excited by the opportunity to earn rewards because I make sure they are truly rewarding to her. She loves to offer me her heelwork position “Close” because I have heavily reward it in the past, it’s a happy place for her to return to!
How to eliminate the game of chance
So let’s leap straight in with those common mistakes so that you can avoid them like the plague and stop asking “why is my gundogs recall so bad?”
- Not being prepared – Before you go out to train recall you really do need to plan, some of the things that don’t get planned properly are what follows next….
- Not understand what their gundog truly finds rewarding – I say this one all the time but it can never be said enough because we all fall into ruts of thinking we know what our gundog finds rewarding but picture this. You have a favourite chocolate bar, you get this for every good thing you do, everything, how rewarding do you eventually find that chocolate bar? It decreases all the time. So we have to be clever about rewards, how we use them, and what for and to take time to look again every so often and ask ourselves if their favourite reward is still their favourite.
- Thinking rewards are just food – Your gundog may have a favourite snack but do they have a favourite toy or game, perhaps they love to investigate good smells. You can use anything to your benefit as long as your gundog finds it rewarding.
- Rewarding in the wrong place – An example would be, a gundog runs past you whenever they recall, get them used to the reward coming right in front of you, surprise them sometimes with a sequence of treats or games etc
- This one is a biggie….not being consistent – Your gundog needs black and white rules, if you don’t teach them that recall is non-negotiable (and it should be for their safety and the safety of others) then to them it is not black and white and you’ll experience the “Just a minute, I’ll be with you shortly” recall or the “I don’t have time for this right now” recall both of which soon become the “I’ll come if I feel like it but likely I won’t” recall as things go downhill. This happens because of a misunderstanding, not because your gundog is trying to rule break.
- Not being calm – This is one of the reasons I often recommend whistle training because when you blow a whistle it’s really hard to do so in a stressful ‘tone’ but when you are panicking your voice will give you away and your puppy/dog will know something is up and this can make getting them back even harder.
- Not setting up for success – You have to build up the places you ask for recall carefully, if your puppy/dog recalls nicely at home you can’t suddenly expect the same result in the middle of a busy park, introduce your distractions carefully.
- Lack of connection – When you first start to teach recall make sure you have a connection with your gundog before letting them off, don’t just unclip the lead and let them go crazy, ask for a bit of engagement first and keep doing little bursts during the off lead time, always making sure their return is greeted with brilliant rewards.
- Over socialisation – In the bid to create a sociable gundog I see many owners creating dog-obsessed gundogs, don’t let your puppy/gundog run up to anything and everything. When you meet a dog or puppy that you are happy for yours to play with make sure you have a cue/word that gives them permission such as “go play” so they understand there are rules to engagement.
- Not trusting their instincts – As you build up your gundog’s recall you will inevitably have to take chances in new environments and situations, however, you should always trust your instincts, if you aren’t feeling good about trying something then don’t. Get some professional help moving on to the next stage in your recall journey.
Remember, treat yourself as kindly as you would others
When things don’t go to plan:
- You are not alone, we have all been there.
- You are not a failure, when something doesn’t go to plan it is just an opportunity to learn from the feedback.
- Remember, my signature system – 5 C’s to balance the lead – Calm, Consistency, Clarity, Communication and Connection.
- Keep going, today’s failure can become tomorrow’s win.
- You will get there, it won’t always be this difficult.
- Look back often to see how far you’ve come and give yourself credit for each step in the right direction.
- Make your recall journey faster and easier, contact me for help.
Get help with your gundog
If you would like to join my mailing list you can sign up using the mailing list sign up page, however if you would like some specific help and tips for loose lead walking then use this link to join my mailing list and receive your FREE RECALLS PDF.
Content Disclaimer
The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article is not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. Nina Fotara T/as Confident Canine disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article.
