Have you ever heard the saying, “Little Hinges Swing Big Doors?”
It is a saying by W. Clement Stone and I was thinking of this while working with a dog on the beach the other day.
I was helping the owner of a beautiful Golden Retriever with her recall.
She had a great recall (come when called) and if you had it on video, it would make a great dog food commercial.
She responds to her name and the command “come” perfectly. No matter what she is doing, the second she hears her name she stops, turns in the direction of the owner and rockets back to her.
There is just one small problem.
She can never actually get her.
The golden does what I like to call drive byes and play keep away. The golden does come racing toward her but at the last second, takes a lightning fast side step and goes right around her.
When she comes back up to her she moves and ducks like a professional boxer making it impossible to put her on leash or touch her.
The is where a little hinge can swing a big door.
Here is a little training tip that can make a HUGE difference in your dog’s recall command.
When you call your dog to you to give a treat, always make sure you reach down with one hand and take the collar. With the other hand give your dog the treat.
By doing this your dog will become conditioned to you taking the collar before giving the treat and this will eliminate drive bys and the keep away game.
I know, not earth shattering, not the most exciting or sexy training advice I’ve ever written about but believe me, this one small step (hinge) will make all the difference with the all important recall command (big door).
Anyway, if you’re dog needs to learn how to come back when called and you’d like to discover little hinges that make all the difference, head on over and check out any of our classes. Get all the details by going here NEXT:
Best,
Eric