When it comes to dog training, it’s important to revisit lessons that aren’t used on a regular basis. Or that are used only within in a familiar setting.
Today’s post is going to cover why you should revisit some training sessions with your dog.
Why You Should Revisit Early Dog Training Lessons
Once we teach our dog a new lesson, we use it frequently. And our dogs love it, they love to learn.
If you’re like me, I focus more on the new lessons than on old ones. Eventually, the old standbys are relegated way down the list. Since I’m a creature of habit, I will use certain commands often in the same area.
An example of this would be, whenever I let in a cat at the slider door, I tell Pandora “Leave it.” Yes, I still use that command in the kitchen and once, every great while, away from home. But it still remains that I use it most in the dining room at the slider door and upon entering the garage, where Pandora feels the need to attack the mower’s tires.
I rarely use this command when we’re on the trails. However, a month or so ago, I did need to use the command out on the trails. Pandora had spotted a rabbit. And she wanted that rabbit. She did not “leave it,” she went after it. And I had to rely on her recall to get her back. If I had continued to work on “leave-it” while out and about, it would be ingrained into her brain by now and I wouldn’t have had to resort to any recall, because she never would have taken off.
Revisiting Recall
I do call Pandora back quite often. I’ll use it when I see people and other dogs on the trails or when she’s extra excitable and bounding into deep grass on the trails. She’s pretty good at recall. Now understand, when I say pretty good, I mean she will listen, she is not police precision trained. Pandora will not stop on a dime and instantly be back at my side. However, she will stop and trot back to me.
Of all the dog training lessons, this one has paid off time and time again. And I took it for granted. I assumed I used it enough that Pandora will always respond.
Until she didn’t.
Over the summer Pandora learned that she loves swimming. Her love for the water may have surpassed her love of the frisbee. Anyway, we were out on a hike, and she saw a body of water, and she bolted for it. My recall did not work. She was gone. And she charged right into the water.
Thankfully, the water is a retention pond. But what if it had been a swift flowing river?
That single thought, that she could race right into a precarious situation is what prompted the need to revisit Recall Training.
This is your reminder to revisit recall training with your own pooch, before he discovers something so phenomenally awesome, that he chooses to not listen.
Dog Training: Revisiting Wait
This is the area I’m most focused on with Pandora right now. I really don’t want to have to rely on recall. I would prefer to keep her near me, so I don’t have to rely on recall.
Now, Pandora is pretty good with “Wait.” However, water play is so darn enticing that nothing computes when she sees a body of water.
First and foremost, Pandora needs to wait when I tell her to. I don’t want her charging into a river and then having to rely on me to rescue her. I used to be a very strong swimmer, but that was years and years ago. Chances that I’ve retained that strength are, well, way less than I’d like to admit.
So, I am pushing “wait,” quite strongly. And Pandora is not thrilled with me. If you look at the picture above, you’ll see a little stink eye in there. I’ve been tossing her frisbee and telling her, “Wait.” Right now, I can only throw the frisbee about five feet away. Anymore, then that and Pandora is all “Nope, not waiting, gotta get that.” With consistent training, I know we’ll get to longer distances.
Revisiting Leave-it
Finally, we are working on “Leave-it.” Again, she knows the command, and is fairly consistent in the most frequently used areas that we employ the command.
However, if I throw the frisbee and tell her to “leave-it” while the disc is mid-air, it won’t happen. She has not once pulled back, mid-run, for a frisbee.
With Fall fast approaching, I need her to listen and respond. I can’t have her bounding off to frigid waters on hikes. Most of our lakes are glacier fed. I don’t want Pandora getting hypothermia. I should probably pack a towel on my winter hikes. Can’t be too careful.
I know if I continue to work on this trifecta of obedience skills, we’ll be fine.
But to get to “fine,” I need to revisit all three lessons and then utilize them frequently in different areas.
