The first thing to do is teach your dog their name and that they should look at you when you call them. You can do this in your home with some treats. Call their name, when they look at you, give them a small treat. If they don’t look right away, be patient. Don’t call over and over. Just wait for them to make eye contact, and when they do, reward. If they really aren’t responding, take a break and try again later. Calling again and again will take away the power of their name and turn it into background noise. The best time to do this is when they are calm and relaxed. Head out for an on-leash walk or playtime if needed, then come back and try again.
Aim for 2 or 3 sessions per day, with 3 to 5 repetitions per session, until response is consistent.
Once your dog knows their name and will respond to it, you can increase the level of difficulty by moving outside where sights and smells will distract them. If possible, do this work in the backyard or a small enclosed space where you can work without needing them to be on-leash.
Start by calling them from nearby when they are not overly distracted to set them up for success. Calling when they are already facing your direction is a good starting point. Then graduate to trying to break their attention from sniffing or interest in something other than yourself. Be mindful to not call over and over. If you can get their attention back to you when they are focused on something else, you’re ready to start working on recall from further away.
Aim for 10-15 minutes, daily if possible, until response is consistent.
In an enclosed space, ideally outside but inside can work as well, have high value treats at the ready and call your dog from far away. When they come, treat them both with positive words and with a food reward. If your dog is confused about what to do when you call them from far away, crouch down after you call to show them you want them to come to you. This often clarifies for them what is wanted. Similar to with their name, start undistracted then escalate to breaking from sniffing or some form of distraction.
Be sure to treat them and let them go on their way after coming. Do not grab them or hold them when they get near or they will learn that getting near you means they will lose their freedom. You want to save this for when you need it only. You are trying to reinforce that coming to you when called is a good experience for them.
Aim for 10-15 minutes, daily if possible, until recall is consistent.
Step 4 – Book Your Trip to the Park
Now that you’ve prepared your dog, it’s time to visit Barkwood Forest! There are two ways to do this:
Option 1:
Come to a free Open House and Assessment: These sessions are a 45-minute walk through our Forest with up to 10 other dogs being assessed where we make sure that the recall you’ve established in a smaller space will translate to the larger forest. Though our forest is 100 acres, we start off in a smaller 6-acre ‘Test Track’ section to make sure it is safe for us to proceed out into the larger area. If it turns out your dog’s recall isn’t strong enough to go to the larger forest, we will ask you to stop the tour early (within about the first 15 minutes) and work on recall a bit more before joining.
Option 2:
Join our instructor led Off Leash Training and Practice Sessions: These sessions are designed to help you and your dog build strong recall skills in a fun and supportive environment. Here’s what you can expect:
- A 45-minute walk in our 6-acre ‘Test Track’ area, a half-kilometer loop through the forest.
- Led by our dog walking experts who run the Boogity pack walking service and are experienced in walking packs of 10 dogs at a time.
- You’ll work under the instruction of our staff, who will help you build strong recall skills and walk your dog like a pro.
- Learning to walk off leash in a group of dogs is one of the best hacks we know. Social dogs want to be with the group. They are more likely to stay close to the group and can pick up good habits from their friends who are learning recall alongside them.
- Cost per session is $25/dog.
Next Steps
To join either a Barkwood Open House or a Training and Practice session, join our mailing list where we send out weekly notifications of upcoming sessions. Even if you’re not sure about joining Barkwood Forest, our training and practice sessions can help you build strong recall skills that will benefit you and your dog in any off-leash environment.