Welcome to the digital edition of mySouthPerth
Read on to find out more about the people, projects, places and events that make the City a great place to live, work and visit.
Stay connected by joining the conversation on Facebook or Instagram and subscribing to mySnapshot, your fortnightly newsletter.
Off-Leash Adventures: Mastering recall with your dog
With Tracey, City of South Perth Animal Care Facility Officer.
Your furry friend probably needs no prompting to race towards you after a long day apart, but teaching them to come to you on command can be an entirely different story.
The City of South Perth has many designated dog exercise areas where pooches can run freely but it's important to remember that they must always be under effective control. As a responsible pet owner, you should master your ability to call them to you.
Teaching recall to your dog is similar to educating children: begin to teach in a low distraction environment with lots of rewards (pre-school), then as your dog begins to understand and enjoy the game, practice in busier environments (primary-school/ high-school), until you are ready to practice in really diverting environments such as the local park (University).
As you increase the distractions, it’s important that the reward increases too. Rewards for this game can be either food or toys.
Once your dog consistently responds to their name, it’s time to add the recall cue. I use the word ‘come’, however, you can use whatever word you wish.
When your dog is not looking at you, call their name and as soon as they look at you, say your recall word and encourage them to come to you by patting your legs, clapping your hands and moving backwards. As soon as they come to you, give plenty of verbal praise and reward heavily. Your dog should think “Wow! That was such fun! How do I make that happen again!?”
Repeat this game a couple of times per day and only increase the distractions when your dog is enthusiastically coming to you when you call.
Top Tip:
Rewards are chosen by your dog and don’t have to be ‘treats’.
Rewards can be a part of your dog's daily diet. I use my dog's regular food at home and their favourite dehydrated meat treats in higher distraction environments. If using a toy, I’ll keep a special toy that’s only ever given to
my dog as a reward when in these kind of environments.
Media contact
For media enquiries, please contact the City’s Communications Officer.
- Phone 9474 0777
- Email media@southperth.wa.gov.au
