Choose and protect the cue
Pick one short recall word and use it once. If an old cue has been repeated while the dog ignored it, a fresh word can be easier to teach.
Never use the cue to predict punishment or something your dog strongly dislikes. After the reward, release your dog back to the activity often enough that returning does not always mean the fun ends.
Build recall in levels
- Practice a few feet away in one quiet room.
- Move across rooms with no distractions.
- Practice in a secure garden or enclosed area.
- Add one mild distraction while keeping distance short.
- Move outdoors on a long line with distant distractions.
- Increase either distance or distraction after repeated success.
- Keep the long line until the response is dependable in the environments you use.
Run a useful practice repetition
Wait until your dog is not already looking at you. Say the cue once, move away invitingly, and reward immediately when the dog reaches you. Several small pieces delivered one after another can make the return more valuable than a single reward.
Keep sessions short. If responses deteriorate, the exercise became too difficult or the reward became less important than the environment.
When to progress
Track a small set of repetitions at the same level. Move up only when the dog succeeds consistently. If failures increase, lower the difficulty instead of repeating the cue. A missed response is feedback about the setup, not proof that the dog is stubborn.