What? How could teaching your Labrador retriever recall save their life? Well, let me tell you, training a dog to come along with socializing them properly, you can most definitely make steps to save them one day. There are a few aspects worth touching on that Labrador owners may not have considered and recently seeing one of our extended family Labrador Retrievers in Toronto get away, I feel this is something that should be addressed.
First let’s look at socializing properly. If your Labrador has been socialized thoroughly then they will not be afraid of strangers. This is important because if for some reason they get loose and run through your neighborhood, one of the neighbors could call them or offer them a treat and catch them for you. So socialization should include detailed exposure to things like women with hats, women with sun glasses, women with high voices and deep voices, older teen women, teen women and also little girls. It’s not adequate to simply expose your Lab to one kind of woman, they need to understand that all different women are friendly. When they are younger, they won’t understand that a woman in a flowing dress is the same as a woman in a leather jacket and a motorcycle helmet. All of this has to be taught during the socialization process. The same would go for all types of men.
So having your Labrador Retriever trust all people is the first step in helping manage a disaster should they get loose and break away somewhere in the neighborhood. This brings me to ask, does everyone in your neighborhood know your dog’s name? This is also a good preventative measure to take to ensure a quick capture in the event your dog escapes unexpectedly. Imagine your Lab getting away, running past all of your neighbors who see him, understand that he is not supposed to be running out by himself but he is too scared of others to come to them. A proper socialization program for her from the moment you get her home will help fix this issue.
So your dog is socialized well and not afraid of others, have you taught a solid recall? Will he come when called every time? This is very possible to achieve if you know what you are doing.
Teaching Your Labrador Retriever to Come
1. Come is one of the most important commands you can train your dog to follow. The first thing to do is ask yourself, “why would my Lab want to come to me?” Many dog owners make the mistake of yelling at their dog and threatening it with fear such as if you don’t come to me you are going to get it! This won’t work, and I wouldn’t approach you either if you were screaming at me when leaving the park. Use an encouraging tone, a playful tone and be sure that if they don’t come right away you must keep your tone positive. There is nothing worse than a Lab finally coming to a handler who then scolds him for not coming quickly enough.
2. Use a 30′ or a 50′ leash and start by letting a short length out, maybe 5 feet or so and then praising when they return. Slowly, gradually over the course of a couple weeks you will let more and more of the long line out so that you are using the whole 50′.
3. Have a high-value reward for your Lab ready to go so they associate returning to you with a positive experience. Not all Labs will require a high-value reward but if you need it then don’t be afraid to break it out so they are dying to return to you.
4. Say your command only one time and wait until they return using your leash and then giving the reward once they are next to you. You are teaching your Lab to come the first time you call after only call your dog once. If they don’t come try shortening the leash or giving a high value treat as a reward.
5. Reward your Lab with more freedom for coming to you. If when you call them and they come, and you hold them tightly and closely to you then they may see that as less desirable than running around. You don’t want that, so when they come to you reward them and then let them have some more freedom. This should be part of a fun game you play with them at the dog park or in the yard. As they get good at this you can sit them once they come and then release them after a short time so they can still feel like their freedom is not being taken away. Start with a short sit duration and gradually lengthen it as they tolerate it.
6. Don’t over practice this! You want to leave them wanting more so as you sense that your Labrador is having enough, end your “come” practice session with them being successful. Try to make it fun for them and always try to set them up for success.
7. Don’t chase your Lab it will only make them run away. They have this quirk and if you get their attention and begin running away in the opposite direction then they have an irresistible urge to chase you. If you try this, be sure to only run away as much as required to get them moving, then stop and turn to them so they can catch you. This is something that can be practiced when dog walking.
I recently witnessed a Chocolate Labrador Retriever in Toronto who somehow got away from their owners. The Lab was shy and ran from people to hide, he also was not trained to come when called. He was gone for many days and was finally caught although he was undernourished when they caught him. After a vet exam and some good food he is doing well now, but the whole week or two long chase for him could have been avoided if he had been accepting of strangers and if his recall was taught and effective. We rarely consider our Labrador Retrievers being at risk because most of the time we are in control of them and they are safe in our homes. But, the one time that something odd happens such as a child opening the door and the Lab getting our or a collar breaking–or even a squirrel sparking their prey drive and they bolt away from you, you (and others) will want to have some control over getting her to come back to you. Especially in the Toronto area where there is so much traffic.
