Come away from distractions
You will need two people to do this exercise and it is important that you each take turns calling the pup away from the distractions.
One person will have toys and treats, the other person will have nothing. It is important that the pup knows this.
Start by having the person with the goodies walk away from the pup about 8 to 10 feet (you may need to adjust the distance).
This person will no doubt be followed by the pup.
The person with nothing should call the pup to come do not be surprised when the pup totally ignores this. Be patient and call at about 5 to 10 second intervals. Clap your hands, get your voice silly and animated. Try to entice the pup with the means available to you. Be patient.
The person with the goods should simply ignore the pup and any advances that he may make to get the treats.
At some point, maybe sooner, maybe later, the pup will tune into the person that is calling him. Praise the puppy as soon as he looks at you, even if it is just for a split second.
He may ignore you again, don’t worry, just call him to come again.
When the pup finally comes to the person who is calling him gently take his collar and praise him. At this point, the person with the treats must rush over and hand the caller a reward to give to the pup.
With this done, release the puppy and begin again.
The pup will begin to realize that in order to get the payoff, he must come to the person who is calling him.
The key to the success of this exercise is repetition and using controlled distractions. When you begin doing this exercise, go to a place where there are no other distractions. If there are things that the pup is more interested in than the staged distraction, that’s no good, the puppy will leave the scene of the exercise and nothing will be learned.
Games to play to improve recall (see Games): Follow Me (Chase Me), Round Robin Recall, Puppy Out of the Gate.
