RECALL - EQUIPMENT NEEDED © 2004 Copyright of Sally Hopkins

RECALL - EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Ideally, if training in a large area where the dog may be tempted to wander off (see Where & When To Train), we recommend that you use two 50m rolls of plastic netting, approximately 24 fencing stakes to hold the netting up, sufficient tent pegs to hold the bottom of the netting down, and one or more lump hammers which can be bought from the local builder's merchants. However, this training compound is not essential - it is just that you will get far better results and find that the dog will be more relaxed and happy as it does not have the opportunity to wander off.

2 poles to make the "finish line" - each approx. 4ft/1.2m high. The distance between these poles is not important - they are there to remind the handler not to call the dog until they have passed this "finish line". Suggestions: -
- Broom handles with nails at the end which can be pushed into the ground
- Canes, sticks or metal posts - with plastic pipe threaded over them to make them thicker and more obvious to the dog
- Farmers' plastic posts that are used to hold up electric fencing - these can be bought from local farm suppliers.

We strongly recommend a comfortable and well-fitting harness for the dog to wear, not only for playing these Games but also to attach the lead to when out on walks. Do not be tempted to hold the dog by its collar when doing these restrained recalls. If the dog pulls in its eagerness to get to the handler and its motivator, it will have the unpleasant sensation of being choked or throttled by the collar. It will then associate the pain and fear with the environment and equipment that is around it - see Environmental Photos - (for instance, "being asked to return to my owner hurts my neck so I will either run away from the pain or try to avoid playing the Game"). So many dogs have been put off dog training due to the lack of thought about suitable equipment.

2 people - the handler and a helper. This helper can either be a trainer, a friend, or a member of the family - it needs to be someone the dog knows and trusts, if at all possible. Never try to do restrained recalls without someone to hold your dog. The whole purpose of the exercise is to encourage it to quietly lean against its harness without humans giving Obedience commands such as "Wait", "Come", "Sit" or "Down". The dog can just concentrate on getting back to its handler as quickly as it possibly can for its motivator.

A selection of different motivators that the handler can experiment with to find out which ones the dog enjoys most. These rewards make the whole Game fun and worthwhile for the dog - would you make an effort and learn something new if you were only given a 10 pence coin for getting it right? Of course not! However, the prospect of sometimes getting a £50 note and other times getting £1 or £2 would make you want to try again just in case you get a really good reward.

Spray paint so that the finish poles and the 51ft/15.3m marker can be marked in the exact same position for each training session, until the dog learns to generalise. Later on this paint can also be used to mark out where the jumps should be for Bounce Games.

Tape measure (100 ft/30.5m if possible) so that the training area can be marked out quickly and easily.