How to teach your dog to come when called

A fresh cue, heavy rewards on arrival, a long line outdoors and call-reward-release so coming back never means the fun is over. Steps, criteria and sources.

At a glance

Base difficulty: 3/5 (before adjusting for breed, age and size)
Source agreement: 5/5 · high (how well the sources agree, not a clinical trial)
Sources cited: 11
Session length: 5 min x 3/day. Zak: short bursts (5 min/5 s).¹
Research updated: 2026-10-17

Step by step

Pick one short cue never used before (or a fresh one if the old one is 'poisoned'); everyone in the household uses the same. ^1,5
Session 1: indoors, no distractions, 1-2 steps apart; say cue once, run away or open posture, mark and reward heavily (multiple treats) when the dog arrives; chase/run-away games boost speed. Kikopup: several treats on arrival so the cue doesn't mean 'run to the next person for a treat'. ^1,3,5,7
Use rewards of real value (toy, special food); reward as payment, not as a lure shown in advance (Garrett: not a bribe). ^1,4,6,7
Teach collar/harness touch separately and optionally add sit on arrival; reward and release back to fun. ^5,7
Add distance and distraction one at a time; if the dog cannot respond after 3-5 reps at one level, criteria are too hard (Kikopup) - make it easier. ^2,4,5
Outdoors use a 6 ft leash then a 15-30 ft long line; the line is for safety, not to reel the dog in. ^5,7
Call-reward-release: most recalls should end with permission to go back to sniffing/play so the cue does not predict 'fun is over'; pay more for hard recalls. ^2,5
For dogs aroused by prey/moving things first teach calm on a mat with distractions far away, then reduce distance in small steps. ²

When to move to the next step

Garrett Recallers: 15-25 recalls per 5-minute session, 3 sessions/day for >= 8 weeks (~3,360 successes) before 'number-10' distractions¹
Kikopup: 3-5 failures at one level -> reduce difficulty²

Difficulty by age

Difficulty is on a 1-5 scale, estimated for 50 breed and mixed-breed size profiles. Breed adjustments are generalisations capped at ±1 level, because breed explains only about 9% of behavioural variation; your individual dog matters more.⁸

Age group	Typical difficulty	Range	Suitable for
Puppy 8-16 weeks	3/5	2-5	50 of 50 profiles
Adolescent 4-18 months	4/5	3-5	50 of 50 profiles
Adult ~18 months-7 years	3/5	2-5	50 of 50 profiles
Senior 7+ years (giants often from ~6)	4/5	3-5	50 of 50 profiles

What changes at this age

Puppy: Start day 1; conditioned arrival is easiest now.
Adolescent: Regression at ~8 months (one source documents lower responsiveness to carer); long line; go back to basics.¹¹
Adult: Same; rehearsal history matters.
Senior: Check hearing; add visual cue.

Common mistakes

Reusing a cue that already means 'optional'¹
Calling in a firm voice⁶
Letting the dog rehearse chasing at home⁹
Blaming the dog¹⁰
Never use a harsh tone⁶

Troubleshooting

Dog ignores: make it easier, add distance from distraction²
Dog shies from collar touch: stop hands, make step smaller⁵
Dog grabs ball and runs: reward more treats on arrival³

Known gaps in the evidence

No peer-reviewed comparison of recall protocols
Breed-specific recall evidence is group-level only (sighthound/hound claims unsourced)

Sources (11)

Source weight (1-5) averages the source's renown and the evidence quality of the specific page; see How plans are made. How plans are made