99% Reliable Off-Leash and Why You Should Aim Higher: Training Advice From an Ottawa Dog Trainer

When I ask owners how reliable off-leash their dog is…

I usually get the answer that “they're pretty good… except when…”

Or,

“He recalls great in the house.. but outside…”

And even..

“It’s 99% there…”

Calling your dog, in real world situations..

..not in your house, or in a training room or a familiar backyard or fenced in dog park…

…will show you exactly where you stand with your training.

This is almost always my benchmark for identifying whether a dog is in training or whether they ARE trained.

And 99% is good.

In theory.

But is that 1% taking off after dogs at the park?

Bolting into the street when the front door is open?

Chasing and killing prey in the backyard in front of the kids? 

The 1% matters.

It is TERRIFYING having a dog run off and not come back when called.

I've been there.

The yelling and chasing and praying that nothing happens. 

(Some dogs really enjoy the chasing part and it becomes a big hectic game to them).

When I learned how to teach a proper recall...

...it was a game-changer for the dogs I was working with.

Dogs that were driving their owners nuts with their stubbornness and bouncing off the walls... even really crazy prey drive... 

...that could very quickly be trusted off leash to explore and play and be a dog.

It's amazing how fast everything else related to training falls into place when you can give them that.

To this day, it is still one of my favourite things to teach dogs. 

You can see the happy on their faces.

If you want that for your dog.. but need help getting your recall to a better place, let’s talk.

- Vivian

PS. A recall that relies on turning up the levels on an e-collar is still not 100% in my books. E-collars die. Dogs get smart to when they are wearing it or not. They start to blow through the higher levels needing even HIGHER levels to get them off prey and other distractions…

Taught right, it usually takes me two sessions to teach a solid recall.. and then the remote is in my pocket and not held tight in my hand with a finger on the buttons.

Do your dog a favour.

Let’s teach them a proper recall so they can enjoy off-leash freedom without the stress and training holes.

Click this link to get the recall of your dreams

Here is a past board and train dog going through reliable off-leash training in the Ottawa area.

Videos 1: Before teaching recall

Videos 2, 3: After teaching recall