Can Some Dogs NOT Be Taught A Solid Recall?
 

I've only had one dog who was very flighty,even after years of trying literally every tool/method to get her to the point of a 100% recall. She did get better over time,but still had her moments of where she would take off.On the flip side,she would come back to me under distractions,the first time. After trying for years, we eventually stopped trusting her in off leash areas, unless there was a fence.

Has anyone ever had a dog who couldn't be taught a reliable recall?

Do hound dogs count? My new hound mix pup will come to me and sit perfectly in front of me IF I have a treat in my hand. If we're outside in my fenced yard and I call him - he thinks it's a big joke.

I will be following your thread and hoping to get some awesome tips.

Can Some Dogs NOT Be Taught A Solid Recall?
 

I just got to the point where I ALMOST trust our Molly girl off leash most of the time. it took a whole year of daily training. I used a long line and just taught her that coming back to me doesn't mean the fun stops-she comes back, gets a treat and some love and then can go back to what she's doing as long as the situation is safe and controlled. After doing this for months she was still not 100% so we used an e collar. she would range a bit and when I got uncomfortable I'd use the tone to get her attention. I've only had to use the stimulus once. Getting their attention is half the battle. Teaching them that coming back to you doesn't always mean the fun stops is the other half IMO. there are a lot of training videos on YouTube about this if you search. I hated the idea of using negative punishment but it was either get control of her or run the risk that she'd get attacked by an animal or bit by a car etc. I always try positive methods first.


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I have been lucky where I have always had very solid recalls on my gsd's.

My aussie? Whole nuther story! That girl would run to china after a bug and not look back:((((

Sometimes it's breed specific I think. I've read that for example huskies and Akitas shouldn't be off lead unless in a fenced area...

But I also think it depends on the dog. Maybe Zeeva with proper training reach 100% but for now I know I can't trust her and accept it...

Archer is just coming up to a year now and really coming on in leaps and bounds on recall- I upped his valued treat and it made all the difference, and also I don't leash him on recall everytime so he doesn't associate it with the end of fun time. He's still not 100% so I am very careful where he can free run, but he's getting there.

( Zeeva, your dog in the profile pic is so beautiful)

Yes hounds do count. The dog I am talking about was actually a Lab/Foxhound mix. With consistent training that involved many different tool/ tricks, we were able to get her to be about 80-90%,but she still had her flighty moments that came out of nowhere.

i had a pointer/walker coon hound mix that loved me very much and was usually obedient but if she got on a sent, i had to chase her down. lol, but in all honesty some hounds have been bred to ignore everything when on a sent

I don't think any dog has a solid recall. Like people, dogs can always have a moment of weakness and that one moment can be the moment that kills the dog. I would never trust a recall to save my dogs life. Its not even a matter of them learning it, because we just don't know when they will decide to listen or more importantly not listen.

I don't know about Akitas, but Sibes are notoriously bad at 'obedience' in general, & especially that pesky recall or the annoying heel. Cochise, my beloved Sibe from years ago, was utterly amazed when he did come when called after some of his numerous escapes. (He once escaped quite suddenly from a pinch collar while my nephew was walking him! The collar was big, yes, but it still required a very tricky maneuver to get free of it undetected).

What worked with Cochise on several occasions, was to go immediately into a crouch with my arms extended, & verrry nicely, sweetly call him to me, showing oodles of enthusiasm. Once he literally dragged himself to me looking as though he was connected to invisible wires he was struggling to resist. The memory still makes me laugh.

Djibouti has an awesome recall & has reliably come after unlocking the gate while I was busy in the yard. He lives to hear that I want him, but I still wouldn't want to chance it if he saw a squirrel, another dog, or something else that was terribly exciting.

This is genetic & something I consider a breed characteristic. With work I think Djibouti would be utterly reliable off lead, even in the presence of MAJOR, high value, distractions b/c he hungers to please me. Again, IMO, this is just part of the GSD makeup.

My Irish Wolfhounds were somewhere b/w Djibouti & Cochise...More amenable to the reacall than Cochise, but lacking Djibouti's enthusiasm for it.