15/09/2026
Does your dog go AWOL? Is your recall unreliable? Or do they vanish completely the moment they find something exciting to chase?
Recall is one of those behaviours that can look perfectly good until you actually need it! 😅
Your dog may come back reliably when there is nothing much happening — but add game or wildlife, another dog, an interesting scent or the chance to run, and suddenly you discover how well the recall has really been trained.....
The good news is that recall is something you can work on systematically. Rather than simply calling your dog more often and hoping they eventually become more reliable, you can build the behaviour progressively, strengthen it around increasing levels of distraction and teach your dog how to disengage from the things they most want to pursue.
If this is a problem you’re working on, I have several resources that can help:
🎧 Podcast episodes (free!):
Moving recalls off the long-line https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hold-the-line/id1461455322?i=1000710766892
Recalls https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hold-the-line/id1461455322?i=1000680743375
Recall-to-flush https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hold-the-line/id1461455322?i=1000613441936
The unedited one, mostly clicker retrieve and recalls https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hold-the-line/id1461455322?i=1000594520519
Cigar-ing bumpers, recall-to-flush and training multiple dogs https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hold-the-line/id1461455322?i=1000619181557
My dog doesn't recall in certain situations https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hold-the-line/id1461455322?i=1000640056174
📚 My books:
**Force-Free Gundog: The Fundamentals for Success** Section 3.3 'The Recall'
UK: https://amzn.eu/d/03YtLZgZ
US: https://a.co/d/0hra6P4m
**Force-Free Gundog: Precision and Progression** Section 9.5 'Steadiness at the Flush, Shot and Fall: Recall-to-Flush'
UK: https://amzn.eu/d/0hBw7hbO
US: https://a.co/d/06MAVwVo
💻 **Reliable Recall** online course: https://www.forcefreegundog.com/reliable-recall
A structured, progressive recall programme designed to help you build a much more dependable response — including with dogs who are highly motivated by the environment — without using aversives.
If you’d like a dog who comes back because you’ve actually trained the skills they need, rather than because you’re crossing your fingers every time you let them off the lead, these are great places to start! 👍🥳
Does your dog chase game? Or ignore you in favour of sniffing? Maybe she wants to play with other dogs? Perhaps you have a new pup and you want to start things off right? Whatever your recall conundrum, I can't wait to help you and your dog. Let's get going!
