Shiva is just on 9 months, and I really need to work on her recall, for when we are out at the dog park or beach. I am just wondering what you're supposed to do if the dog does not come when called during training. I have found heaps of recall training advice, but it usually just says what to do when the dog does come.

So, if she ignores me, do I walk up to her? And if so, what then? Let her go and try again?

Or do I keep saying 'come' until she does? Or just say it once and then wait until she eventually does come back.

One thing I read said to leave it until she's less distracted then try again, but to me that seems to be letting her away with not coming to the first call.

Also, if I'm doing this on a long lead, and she doesn't come, do I pull her in to me, or wait?

Your experiences with this would be great, I'm just not sure what is the 'right' or best way to deal with it.

We work on recall with a long lead, and when they're learning, we give a gentle pull while saying come freakishly high pitched with a treat in hand. When they come, we make a huge fuss.

I'd say only give the command once... if you keep repeating, your pup will learn she doesn't need to come right away.

We start with them only 5 or 6 feet away with no distractions, then gradually add distance and distraction.

One note about the beach or park... one mistake I see a lot of people make is at the park, people say come, attach the leash, and leave. Soon the dog learns that if he comes, the fun ends, and
Even dogs with good recalls will stop coming when called.

What we did (and still do) at the park is every 10 or 15 minutes, we call her to us, and when she comes, she gets a treat , pets, and praise, then off she goes to play again. That way she learns that come means a pleasant break, not the end of fun. And we always have a stuffed Kong in the car for when we do go home, so leaving the park isn't so bad either

I took her out just before, unfortunately there was agility on at the dog park, so she was completely distracted from me. If she is interested in something, she tends to just stay at the end of the line, and when she realises I'm not letting her go, she just sits there, and refuses to come back. Obviously it was a big step to be trying it with so many dogs in sight though, so I will work on it..

I see what you mean about the 'leash and leave', I've been trying to do that And the Kong is a good idea!

She doesn't seem to be too fussed over treats. She will be interested for a couple of times and then not care it all. Nice treats too! At home she can do everything, and will love treats, but once we're out the thrill of them is rather short lived..

Thanks for the advice though! I shall be trying it

The park may be too much for her just yet... try an empty soccer or baseball field, or just go to the park very early or very late.

And try different treats! My Anya is indifferent to dog treats, but shell do anything for some string cheese!

Shiva loves cheese too, I have been using that, as well as fruit and dried chicken stuff.. She just gets bored of it quite quickly. Will keep trying. Cheers

If your dog has a very strong sit-stay you can also use that to your advantage. Say she is off leash and isn't listening to your "come" cue. Give her the sit-stay cue and walk up to her. If she runs away from you while approaching her, then turn the game around. Give the sit-stay cue, get as close as you can from her without her getting up and walking away and then in a high-pitched like "this is so much fun" voice, start running the other way while calling her name. She will see this as a chase game and will most likely follow.

That is one way I have found helps me at dog parks.

If you have the long leash on, definitely reel her in if she ignores you.

For the dog park, to begin, here is what I would suggest. Go early when no one is there. Let her free to 'do her thing' and while she is distracted hide from her, but watch her. Eventually, she will realize she has 'lost' you and will start searching. Her head will pop up and she'll start to trot around and look for you. After a few seconds of her looking for you, step out from her hiding place and call her name. If you can manage not to trip, crouch a little bit and run backwards while calling excitedly. Give her tons of treats when she gets there and if you have a toy, play tug or whatever game she likes and even play chase with her. Run away from her, turn, chase her anything fun and exciting. You're teaching her that an awesome game happens when she comes to you.

After you do this without other dogs around, I'd progress to this step when there are dogs in the dog park with you. Watch her very closely, most likely she will eventually get to a point where she looks for you. When you see her looking around for you call her name. After she starts running to you use the command you have decided on 'come' or 'here' and yell her name again and add the command this time, then do the crouching and stepping backwards thing again.

Also, one thing to note is that you want to be careful with treats in the dog park. Most dog parks don't allow treats, but people do it anyway. I would not work on this stuff if it's really crowded. I like Gena's idea about the sit-stay, but we would totally get kicked out of the park for that. They get mad if you do anything resembling training so I have to be sneaky about it. Anyaluv's idea about calling, rewarding, and letting free is also great. I do this with Diz too.

I was basically going to suggest what Jen said. I play hide and seek with my dogs when we're out hiking- I still do occasionally, but I found when they were younger they would stick closer because they never knew if mom would disappear.. and I'm a good hider too lol!

But If they don't come when I call when we're out in the woods I walk up and put them on leash and tie them to the nearest tree.. and walk out of site. Want to hear a husky or malamute have a fit? lol. I know it sounds crazy, but I think I've literally only had to do this twice- they come every time they're called now! haha As for the dog park, when I say it's time to go, it's time to go- the follow me to the gate every time... but we don't always drive to the dog park either- sometimes we walk.. so there's like a 3 mile walk back ahead of them... point being, like getting a kong in the car- they get a nice walk. Just food for thought As for what's the "right or wrong way," it really depends on each individual dog, different methods work for different people and their dogs. Just have fun training and the rest will fall into place

Tying them to a tree and walking away is such a great idea! I'm totally gonna try that with Diz!

I play a game at home with mine. You have two people, each with a handful of treats. You start by one person calling the dogs name, once they come you get them to sit-stay and then reward. While the dog is busy with the one person the other one hides. The one hiding then calls the name and the dog has to search for them, once the dog finds them, you do the same thing. In the mean time the other person is now hiding.
I start off easy and gradually make my hiding spots harder.

And I did not realize that you are not allowed to do any type of "training" in a dog park. There is no such rule out here. That is very interesting and in all honesty, it doesn't make any sense to me what-so-ever.