Why recall falls apart outside

Why recall falls apart outside

Recall that works perfectly in the kitchen and the garden very often collapses in a field. That is not disobedience, and it is rarely stubbornness. It is context.

Your dog learned the word, not the job

A cue practised in one quiet room is tied to that room. Outside, the grass, the wind, another dog and a hundred smells are all competing, and the cue has never had to win against any of them.

Competing with the environment

If coming back ends the fun every time, the dog does the maths quickly. Recall has to predict something genuinely worth having, and it has to be paid often enough that the habit holds under pressure.

Rebuild it in stages

Drop the difficulty until your dog is right nine times out of ten, then raise one thing at a time: distance, then distraction, then duration. Use a long line while the habit is still forming so the dog never gets to rehearse ignoring you.

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