Coast and Country Canines

Fun finale

A beagle walks up to his owner in a woodland

Stage four: Fun finale

Well done on reaching the final stage of the Total Recall Challenge! Now you can recall your dog from a distance and around distractions, it’s time to build on those skills with more games. Can your dog take on these playful challenges and show off what they’ve learned?

Time for the fun finale! Playing games with your dog is a brilliant way to keep building their skills while strengthening your bond. Did you know there is evidence that dogs actually learn better when a new task is followed by a fun game, so playing with your dog while training isn’t just enjoyable, it actually helps them remember what you’re teaching them!

Hide and seek

Tell your dog to ‘stay’ if they know how, wait for them to be distracted or have someone else hold their lead. Go and hide somewhere in the house, then call your dog. When they find you, give them plenty of praise and fuss. Depending on how confident you are that your dog will stay close, you could play this  game out on a walk.

Start out nice and easy – we don’t want our dogs to think we have abandoned them. Once they get the hang of the game you can make it a bit more challenging and find some more tucked away hiding places. If you do play this game out on a walk, make sure you can still see your dog at all times, and if they seem at all distressed, stop the game and play something different.

Video below 

Doggy in the middle with a twist

Is your dog starting to predict how doggy in the middle goes? If they start to run to the next person before they’ve even been called you can play Doggy in the middle – with a twist! This time, while your dog is running towards the next person, the other person calls them back so the dog has to change direction.

This is a great test of whether your dog is simply in the rhythm of the game, or whether they are listening to their recall cue and understanding it.

Video below 

Put your training to the test

Turning point: Can you recall your dog while they are running to someone else?

If not, no worries. Go back a few steps and make sure your dog is really understanding their recall cue, and perhaps play a few rounds of regular doggy in the middle (without the twist). You can always go back to some of the earlier exercises too.

If they can, well done for all the hard work and play you and your dog have put in. This is a huge achievement for you both! Now follow the link below…

Take me back to stage three
Celebrate your success!