Many owners will tell you that their dog understands their verbal cue for recall but only follows through 50% of the time.
So why is that?
It can be for a few reasons
-the dog was not consistently reinforced with a reward to help create a reflexive behavior.
-the dog was rewarded but it was through the form of bribery. This is usually where the treat or bag of treats is in your hand and you’re trying to coax your dog in-but unfortunately this only communicates to your dog that when they follow through they will get food-ultimately teaching your dog that he has a choice here. (see my Reel on “Bribing versus Rewarding” for a clearer picture)
But the issue I see the most, is the way we go about using this verbal cue. We throw our emotions into it too often and it leads the dog into conflict-turning that verbal cue into something negative.
Here’s an example: Your dog is outside barking at squirrels so you call him in but with no success. Then you call him a second, third, fourth time and with each time you get a little more frustrated-your tone changes-your body language changes-and your dog notices all of this. And now your dog is in conflict. It no longer seems to be beneficial to come to you, so he doesn’t.
Some people have even gone as far as going back outside chasing their dog, grabbing their dog or even physically punishing their dog for not complying. Now the only thing your dog understands is when you use the verbal cue for recall that you’ve been using, they better watch out. They better run in the other direction.
They will not be able to analyze this like a human in the sense that if they do not come, their consequence will be far worse. They just know that when you say “come” you are usually annoyed and it would not be beneficial for them to be in your presence.
The quality of these dog treats is second to none. I feel so good knowing I’m feeding my dog 100% grass fed beef! He deserves only the best and Patriot Pup delivers!
