Emergency Recall (as promised) from dr2

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I can't remember which thread I promised to post this in but here it is. It's one of my class handouts for the Emergency Recall. I hope that it's easy enough to understand, it's given with explanation during all classes and private training sessions. BTW, the "DUCK-DUCK-GOOSE is my emergency recall for Sophie and is demo'd in class with her under a crazy bunch of competing motivators..in case you're wondering about the title of the handout.;)

DUCK DUCK..GOOSE!! - EMERGENCY RECALL

Lets say your dog somehow got off leash and was headed towards a busy road during rush hour traffic. What would you do? Do you have a foolproof plan? The EMERGENCY RECALL is the most important command that you‘ll ever teach your dog. Here’s how it works -

We’ve already gone over the importance of calling your dog ONLY when he is already coming to you in order to teach a proper recall. Let’s take 3 of those perfect recalls every day and hard wire them for an EMERGENCY.
First, decide on a word or series of words that you and your family will use for the EMERGENCY RECALL. It should be something that you’ll remember, that you don’t already use around the dog, and that he won’t hear at the dog park…..like DUCK DUCK…GOOSE!!!!

Find some EXTRA special treats, something he absolutely drools for, that you will ONLY use for EMERGENCY RECALL and have them ready in your pocket.
Three times a day, when your dog is already coming to you, call him with your EMERGENCY recall word or words. When he gets to you, take a full 30 seconds and while repeating this recall - feed him his favorite treat in small pieces. Create a fine dining experience, one that he’ll thoroughly enjoy and remember.

Make sure to only practice this 3 times/day for the first 2 weeks (morning, noon and night) and ALWAYS pay for the full 30 seconds while repeating his EMERGENCY recall command over and over. As you start to see him respond…and you will, you can call him from a bit more distance and with more distraction. Be sure to go slow, you don’t want to add difficulty before your EMERGENCY recall is hard wired.

Once he is responding 100% of the time to the 3 EMERGENCY recalls/day, space them out to once/day, then 3/week and so on. You MUST always pay…ALWAYS! I still practice this once/week with my dogs and have used it successfully in a variety of situations that have caused people to stand with their jaws dropped in amazement at its effectiveness. It works, and it may just save your dog’s life some day.
 

otch1

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#3
I just envisioned a classroom of dogs and students yelling "duck-duck- goose!" Lol. On a serious note... this is an excellent exercise!!
 
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I just envisioned a classroom of dogs and students yelling "duck-duck- goose!" Lol. On a serious note... this is an excellent exercise!!

You sould hear some of the Emergency Recall terms people come up with.
One couple uses "YOU'RE NAKED! another English couple uses "BANGERS AND MASH", it's really quite hillarious. I only give each owner/family about 3-5 minutes to decide on an ER term, otherwise they end up taking weeks to decide and loose valuable practice time.;) Deciding on and sharing terms makes for a fun class activity too.:D

I started using DUCK-DUCK-GOOSE as mine because at the time Sophie was on an elimination diet and we were trying roast duck chopped into little pieces for rewards. She went completely NUTS for the duck bits so I guess somehow my brain ended up at DUCK-DUCK-GOOSE!!!!!
 

britney

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#7
Lets say your dog somehow got off leash and was headed towards a busy road during rush hour traffic. What would you do? Do you have a foolproof plan?
I'd say, loud and proud, "GET OFF THE ROAD". Or if I felt the lunge was particularly inappropriate I'd embarass her while I was at it by saying instead, "forGET it" In the first instance she would instantly know which side to the curb to be on. In the second she would know that she is behaving like a dog of very low status. A puppy even.

I taught her the road and how to be off it so she can walk off the lead at any time. Forget it means stop whatever you are doing. Every time she hears it her head goes to one side and she stops midstride. I taught her all that with no treats and no punishments. She is happy to do what the pack requires coz she understands that that is best for all of us.
 
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I'd say, loud and proud, "GET OFF THE ROAD". Or if I felt the lunge was particularly inappropriate I'd embarass her while I was at it by saying instead, "forGET it" In the first instance she would instantly know which side to the curb to be on. In the second she would know that she is behaving like a dog of very low status. A puppy even.

I taught her the road and how to be off it so she can walk off the lead at any time. Forget it means stop whatever you are doing. Every time she hears it her head goes to one side and she stops midstride. I taught her all that with no treats and no punishments. She is happy to do what the pack requires coz she understands that that is best for all of us.
That's great. The sentance that you quoted is just one example of where the Emergency recall works.:)
It's taught and proofed with many competing motivators but is very effective for puppies as well, very early in their training. It really just teaches that no matter what the distraction, when the ER is called...there's no thought to do anything but come. I've use it mid chase with Sophie and a rabbit and have people talk about crazy things that they've gotten their dogs out of using this Emergency Recall.:)
 

sourjayne

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#9
I have read about this, and I love the idea. I'm still trying to get straight in my head how it's different from a regular recall -- don't you want the regular recall to be hard-wired, able to turn on a dime and return to you no matter what the distraction? It's confusing to me to teach two things that mean the same thing? What's the difference between them, if I may ask without sounding too incredibly foolish?
 

BostonBanker

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#10
I have read about this, and I love the idea. I'm still trying to get straight in my head how it's different from a regular recall
LOL I spent most of today thinking about this exercise, and wondering about the same things as you. Here's what my brain worked out:

Most people probably screw up the recall more than we want to admit. They call the dog to "come", and then don't have rewards, or they call when there is no chance of getting the dog to come (mid-chase), or they repeat themselves so many times that the dog hears "come", and just tunes it out. "Come" becomes an optional command.

With the emergency recall, you set yourself up to practice by having the treats, being in the right situation. You are using a command that the dog doesn't hear over and over again, so it means just one thing. And you always reward with a huge jackpot.

I love the idea of this exercise - I'd never heard of it. Meg's recall is pretty stunning anyway, but I'm thinking of using the same idea to really jackpot "come" a few times a day. I admit, I'm too self-concious to stand in the yard screaming "You're naked!" to my dog;)
 

sourjayne

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Yeah, I guess it's just admission of failure on the part of the trainer? Not in a bad way -- it's great to have a backup plan. But wouldn't it work equally well, if you're like me and haven't really conditioned a recall at all yet (will be starting soon!), to condition your regular recall using the emergency recall method?
 

otch1

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#12
It can be confusing, but not for the dog. This is the same principle as a "front" , drop on recall or "heel" in competition work. The dogs are taught as pups "lets go" to walk on a loose leash on your left. When they get to the point of learning a formal "heel", this is with great precision, head up without breaking eye contact and able to move left and right disengaging hind end and "pivoting", so to speak. You don't want this level of formality when you want to take your dog on a nice walk or just get to the car quickly. So, "lets go" and "heel" are different for the dog, even thought they're basically both requiring the dog to walk on you left, on a loose leash. As for a drop on recall verses putting your dog in a down. Both are the same exercise but one much more formal. One "down" requiring the dog to drop immediately on his haunches, chest on the ground, no rolling on a hip, ready and poised to come foward as soon as next commands given. You don't need this level of formality when you're out shopping and just want him to lay down quietly in the isle. And the dog needs to know the difference there too. So, these "downs" are taught differently. As for a recall. Most trainers teach your dog to come to you at a moderate speed, and without much hesitation as a pup. So it's "come" or "here". When competing and using a "front" the dog is then taught that it needs to "fly" to you, giving you 100% of it's attention, no quick sniff on the ground along the way and to sit in front of you, until the next commands given. Most of us do not require this of our dogs it's not an emergency, and we simply want them to come to us in a timely manner and just stay close. It would be stressful for the dog to expect this level of performance from him on every command, in every situation. But he does need to know that when he hears "that word", it is very formal, precision, timing and accuarcy is required at the second that particular commands given. Don't jog to me, run! I really want to hear someone yell "you're naked" sometime though. It's much more interseting than "Front!" lol
 

sourjayne

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#13
It would be stressful for the dog to expect this level of performance from him on every command, in every situation. But he does need to know that when he hears "that word", it is very formal, precision, timing and accuarcy is required at the second that particular commands given. Don't jog to me, run!
Ah, I didn't know it could be stressful for the dog to have to do that every time I call him! That's a great explanation, thanks!

My boyfriend always tries to "help" me train my puppy, he'll call Louie's name, and then ... nothing. Louie looks up at him, nothing happens, then he goes back to sniffing or whatever. I'm like "Dude, don't do that!" Or he'll call Louie to him with "Come" and whistles and claps, then Louie gets to him and he just says "Good dog" and keeps watching tv. I try to explain that he's training the dog to ignore him, but then he gets mad at me :/ I don't whistle (don't know how) and I don't use "Come" I use "C'mere" (more natural for me, I'm not a competitor) so hopefully the boyfriend won't be able to do too much damage until he figures out that he's supposed to be ready with mega-rewards when he calls the dog!
 
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LOL I spent most of today thinking about this exercise, and wondering about the same things as you. Here's what my brain worked out:

Most people probably screw up the recall more than we want to admit. They call the dog to "come", and then don't have rewards, or they call when there is no chance of getting the dog to come (mid-chase), or they repeat themselves so many times that the dog hears "come", and just tunes it out. "Come" becomes an optional command.
EXACTLY!!!
I always teach a regular recall as well as an Emergency Recall (ER), and you're so right, people set their dogs up for failure from the very start by calling them while they're already headed to a competing motivator.

I start by having the owners ONLY call their dog when he/she is already coming to them. This first step lasts for about 2 weeks while the dog is achieving a conditioned response to hearing his name called. This sets them up to know that when their name is called, they end up coming...everytime. The normal way that people try to teach recall is by calling their dog when he's going in the other direction, he keeps going and CABOOM, you've taught him that he has the option.


With the emergency recall, you set yourself up to practice by having the treats, being in the right situation. You are using a command that the dog doesn't hear over and over again, so it means just one thing. And you always reward with a huge jackpot.
Right Again! You condition the response so that no other option exists that compares to the jackpot they can expect everytime. It's proofed slowly so that it can transfer to more and more "hairy" situations. It is after all, pretty cheap doggie life insurance.

I love the idea of this exercise - I'd never heard of it. Meg's recall is pretty stunning anyway, but I'm thinking of using the same idea to really jackpot "come" a few times a day. I admit, I'm too self-concious to stand in the yard screaming "You're naked!" to my dog;) Please let me know how it goes. I'd just love an update!;)
 
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Yeah, I guess it's just admission of failure on the part of the trainer? Not in a bad way -- it's great to have a backup plan. But wouldn't it work equally well, if you're like me and haven't really conditioned a recall at all yet (will be starting soon!), to condition your regular recall using the emergency recall method?
The Emergency Recall must be something really special and infrequent compared to a regular recall so that in an emergency, it's not like every other typical experience.
Kind of like if you got flowers every day, flowers wouldn't seem all that special. Or if you had you favorite food for every meal. Not to mention if you did a 30 second "fine dining" type feed with every recall, your dog would be a little pork chop in no time.;) :D
I use this ER term along with the extra special treat (that they ONLY get with the ER), 3/day, then 2/day, then 1/day..a couple of times/week and finally once a week so that it's always special, never boring, and of course ALWAYS VERY REWARDING.
 

britney

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That's great. The sentance that you quoted is just one example of where the Emergency recall works.:)
It's taught and proofed with many competing motivators but is very effective for puppies as well, very early in their training. It really just teaches that no matter what the distraction, when the ER is called...there's no thought to do anything but come. I've use it mid chase with Sophie and a rabbit and have people talk about crazy things that they've gotten their dogs out of using this Emergency Recall.:)
I can certainly see that ER is a tool that every owner should have in some form. For myself, I have the rocksolid forget it for the almost unimaginable occasion that she has already crossed a road and needs to stop something but coming to me has risks. Having said that, the Maori language commands she picked up as a puppy from an older dog (but rarely hears today) are ones that she responds to instantly.

I like the point you make that everyday commands get diluted by not being enforced to the same degree every time. I've often noticed that as dogs get older, a certain amount of leeway works its way into the day to day obedience.
 

Gijora

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I can certainly see that ER is a tool that every owner should have in some form. For myself, I have the rocksolid forget it for the almost unimaginable occasion that she has already crossed a road and needs to stop something but coming to me has risks. Having said that, the Maori language commands she picked up as a puppy from an older dog (but rarely hears today) are ones that she responds to instantly.
your posts confuse me. I think its the sentence structure. maybe I'm just dumb....
whats Maori language?
 

skyeboxer

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#19
What an excellent thread. I'm bookmarking it for future reference. I never thought of an ER for Skye but can see it could be a lifesaver. Many thanks for the practical advice.
 

adojrts

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#20
EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Agreed, most of us manage at one time or another to screw up the recall and then it doesn't work when we need it the most.

I am certainly going to train this, just another very valuable tool. Now I have to come up with a word.........going to ask my Hub and son they both have a wicked sense of humor and will love coming up with a word.

Do we have permission to print it off and pass it on to others or to cross post it to other forums??

Thanks again
Lynn
 

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