When Bambi walks in the parks, she enjoys being free, exploring, chasing animals or taking in and processing different smells. She delights in sticking her nose in small spaces and snooping here and there. She does all of this off-leash.
At some point during the walk, her guardian takes out the leash, carries it in her hands and calls Bambi to snap it on, finish the walk and return home. As you probably guessed, Bambi refuses to return at that moment. Instead, she watches her person from a distance and sometimes even walks farther away.
Scenes like this one can be frequently observed wherever you find dogs off-leash.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING WITH YOUR DOG?
- Here are some tips to help your dog have positive experiences with recalls & the leash:
- Use a long leash that allows your dog to explore, sniff and greet other dogs (20-30 ft). The leash should not limit their movement or the ability to communicate with the environment. If necessary, you can drop the leash so that it drags on the ground and then easily pick it up again when you need to.
- Accompany your dog while they engage in these activities and let them guide you. You can demonstrate to them that even with the leash, they don’t lose agency, freedom nor the possibility of making their own decisions.
- Be an exploration buddy for them. Be curious. Put yourself in their “paws” and see the world from their perspective.
- Don't suddenly surprise them with a call to come back, and only call when it's time to go. Also call them to pet them or give them a treat and then tell them to go play and explore again. Do this repeatedly.
- During the walk, keep the leash in your hands within sight of your dog and don’t bring it out only when you’re going to end the walk. Hanging the leash around your neck is often a good option.
- When you do actually put the leash on your dog and end the walk, give them a treat to compensate a bit for ending their playtime. After a while, you won’t need to treat them for this anymore.
- If they don’t want to come back to you, start going in the opposite direction from where they are rather than trying to chase them down. They’ll follow when they realize you are not coming back for them!
- Finally, don’t ever scold your dog for coming back to you, even if they take forever and you call them a million times! This will teach them NOT to come to you, because you will be scolding them for coming to you instead of scolding them for taking too much time to get there.
In time and with lots of repetition, your dog will learn that coming back to you is a fun thing to do and that only some of the time it will be because the walk or playtime is nearing its end.
