Total Recall Master of the Universe Contest
…so few days ago I posted a video of me and my GSD Dojo doing some long distance recalls under distractions (people, dogs, foot of snow, did I mention distance? Lol)
My friend Jim McBean (raw meaty bones for dogs guy) posted the video on his Facebook page and wouldnt you know it?
My recall was immediately challenged by two trainers eager to show their wares and put their money where their mouth is. Here is the post for your enjoyment :-)
Who can do the best, most difficult, crazy amazing and creative recall?
Whoever wins becomes the Total Recall Master of the Universe of 2010. 
What does Total Recall Master of the Universe get you?
I duno….bragging rights? Maybe a badge for your website (Jana, can you get working on the design please :-) We'll figure something out and we'll make it good.How to participate?
- Leave a comment here stating your intention to participate.
- Shoot a video of doing a long distance recall of your dog. Make it difficult, make it amazing, make it interesting, and make it hard to beat.
- Post your video on youtube as a response/comment to the video currently in the lead (my video lol)
- We will all vote for the best video (peer decided) and of course you can’t vote for yourself.
Deadline Sep 1st
Yeah…I figured we put a deadline on this. I think September 1st 2010 is as good a time as any. This gives you a month to submit your video.
Who will be the first Total Recall Master of the Universe 2010?
Well, right now, I’m in the lead muah ha ha ha
Show us what you got
Comments 24 Comments
Britanny recall - showing the product
the compressed tutorial of how I teach it
Leonard, please be sure to post this up again on the Positive Dog Trainers page when the competition is running so I can watch all the videos!
I'd definitely lose with my Sheltie if it involved any sort of difficulty that included runners running by, waves hitting a beach, rabbits running through the yard... Are you sensing a theme here?
Anyways, I look forward to seeing the recall challenge as it plays out! I wonder who will win? :)
I have a few I could use now, but since this is for Total Recall Master of the Universe title, I'm gonna have to step it up!
Any specific criteria? Or, just be creative with obstacles, distractions, distance, etc.?
Fun!
...Except that some (most) of the puppies went home at SIX WEEKS! AHH. >< LoL. Of course, right?
So, new idea! (No idea what it is... Hahaha.)
Anyway, you know I'm in. And I found a few minutes to pretend that I actually have honest-to-gosh time to play with the computer.
Love the contest idea. It's a fun way to channel a little bit of training passion into something fun. ...And who cares about the competition if it's fun, right?
PS. I do wonder...for everyone who wants to/ is going to participate. How did you all teach your recalls? (My brother and I fight/grow/glare over procedures for this all the time. LOL Different methods...)
Recalls, depends on the dog but pretty much the basics - high high praise, setting up only for success early on and proofing later as reliability comes in.
There is a great DVD called "Really Reliable Recall" by Leslie Nelson (no not the Naked Gun guy, lol). She likes to promote an everyday recall and also an emergency recall with a different command tied to it.
I think what she's getting at is we can have a "casual" recall that we use every day in our daily routine. Meaning, there are going to be plenty of times when we want to casually call our dog closer to us, but that particular recall won't (and shouldn't?) carry the same energy, volume, or body language as the "stop chasing that squirrel that's heading straight for that busy road..." "emergency" cue.
Now if I'm looking at my own habits, there are plenty of times where I'll namecheck my dog and just give a "here buddy" or something like that. Dog comes to me but doesn't have to snap to any specific position, I just want him close to me and to not wander off until I say OK. Always followed by praise of course.
This is very different for me than the formal "< dog's name > COME!" command. There is much more "weight" to that. That is ideally followed by immediate abandonment of whatever activity is at hand, and fast speed to me to a front sit position. Always followed by BIG praise, a celebration, food, tug, etc.
So I think her feeling is whether we like it or not, pretty much all of us fall into this category of more casual "come closer to me" chatter commands here and there that tends to weaken the recall. Her emphasis is - just make sure to practice the latter with ultimate consistency so you have it when it really counts.
Personally I feel the recall (along with overuse of the name, and also the heel command) is THE most abused / burnt out verbal cue out there by casual / novice dog owners.
I think what she's getting at is we can have a "casual" recall that we use every day in our daily routine. Meaning, there are going to be plenty of times when we want to casually call our dog closer to us, but that particular recall won't (and shouldn't?) carry the same energy, volume, or body language as the "stop chasing that squirrel that's heading straight for that busy road..." "emergency" cue.
Now if I'm looking at my own habits, there are plenty of times where I'll namecheck my dog and just give a "here buddy" or something like that. Dog comes to me but doesn't have to snap to any specific position, I just want him close to me and to not wander off until I say OK. Always followed by praise of course.
This is very different for me than the formal "< dog's name > COME!" command. There is much more "weight" to that. That is ideally followed by immediate abandonment of whatever activity is at hand, and fast speed to me to a front sit position. Always followed by BIG praise, a celebration, food, tug, etc.
So I think her feeling is whether we like it or not, pretty much all of us fall into this category of more casual "come closer to me" chatter commands here and there that tends to weaken the recall. Her emphasis is - just make sure to practice the latter with ultimate consistency so you have it when it really counts.
Personally I feel the recall (along with overuse of the name, and also the heel command) is THE most abused / burnt out verbal cue out there by casual / novice dog owners.
Usually I release her to sniff, play whatever after having given her her treat. See Ian Dunbar as to the why - he explains this much better than I can.
No, that's unfair. He says and I agree, the recall should NOT be used to end fun, other wise when the dog has the choice, and she ALWAYS has the choice, of playing or coming back to be put on leash and lead off, there is no choice. You loose big time. If you put that on a flexible schedule, like the rewards for successful completion of a newly learned behavior, the dog will be leashed on to go home maybe at most 1:20, not 1:1. I actually take it a step further. If I recall her to then leash her up and go, I ALWAYS play a game of tug or do some tricks-for-treats or something that separates the recall command from the leashing up or from anything that is not rewarding in some way, be that treats, play, praise or whatever. A recall may never be brought into connection with anything remotely unpleasant. Even my 1:20 is actually too much, but who's perfect?
That being the case, I make no distinction between any kind of recall. If I absolutely need an obedience type "sit" left or right, I have a hand signal for that as she's coming in. otherwise she's free to come in as she chooses.
;-)
Extension? (since I don't see any other entries either)
My head hurts. lol