Baxter is a very smart, independent lab mix. One of the issues that his human parents, Wendy and Carl, wanted to work on was the recall. They have a rather large back yard, and Baxter would see another dog or an animal outside the fence and bark at it, non-stop, ignoring all calls to quit barking or return to the house. {Scroll down and click for the video.}
So we made a game with the recalls. “Come” was a word that had been overused and ignored, so we decided to try a new word. What’s a word that rings out… doesn’t sound like any other words… and you can’t help but smile when you say it…?
“Cheese!”
We started working with “Cheese!” as a recall word – playing the game in the basement, the kitchen, and throughout the house. Then we worked outside with a long lead. Baxter loved the game. He’d race back to Carl or Wendy for a high level reinforcer (treat). We were creating muscle memory, and a reaction to race back to them when called.
Then one day I got a text from Wendy: Holy mackerel!! The recall word of “cheese” worked
Not even a hesitation to come back in!!
Love it!
Here’s a video she sent of Baxter barking at the back fence: