07/06/2026
Want a better recall? Stop doing this.
If there’s one behaviour almost every dog owner wants, it’s a reliable recall.
We want our dogs to come when we call them, whether they’re at the park, on the beach or sniffing something far more interesting than us.
Yet one of the biggest recall mistakes owners make starts long before they ever begin recall training.
They use their dog’s name.
Most owners accidentally take their dog’s name in vain.
Think about how many times your dog hears its name every day.
“Fido, get out of the garden!”
“Fido, stop barking!”
“Fido, leave it alone!”
“Fido, what have you got now?”
By the time many dogs are a year old, they’ve heard their name hundreds, if not thousands, of times.
Sometimes it predicts attention, food, play or affection.
Other times it predicts the end of fun, being interrupted or being told off.
Before long, the dog’s name is no longer a clear, reliable signal that predicts good things.
This is why, at CLEAR Dog Training, we always teach a separate recall cue such as “Come” or “Here”.
A cue that means one thing and one thing only:
Come to me.
Not stop having fun.
Not leave the park.
Not have your toy taken away.
Just come to me.
And then we protect it.
If your dog is unlikely to come, don’t use the cue.
Move closer.
Get its attention first.
Put it on a long line.
Or simply go and get the dog.
Every time a recall cue is ignored, it loses a little value.
Just as importantly, only use your recall cue when your dog will be glad it came to you.
Don’t use your recall cue to call your dog away from something it loves so it can do something it dislikes.
If it’s time to leave the park, have a bath, go outside or end the fun, go and get the dog instead.
Your recall cue should predict good things.
Aim for a success rate of at least 95% and reward generously when your dog gets it right.
A great recall isn’t built on the perfect word.
It’s built on protecting the meaning of that word.
And that’s why we try not to take our dog’s name in vain.
