When my son was about 3 years old, I often took him to a park across the street from our house. It was a great park for kids and dogs – big trees bordering the park and lots of lush green grass to run and play in. As my son was scavenging the grass for hidden treasures one day, my eye caught sight of someone with their dog coming into the park at the other end. At that moment, I saw the dog, a medium-sized mixed breed, spot my son. The dog started running across the park at full speed toward him, and his focused look caused me to fear for my son. I didn’t want to create a fear of dogs in my son, so I watched for about 10 seconds as the dog picked up speed racing across the football field-sized park, his owner yelling for him to no avail. When the dog was within about 150 feet of us, I very calmly picked up my son and said, “Hey, Andrew. Look at the cute puppy”! The dog ran right up to us and jumped up on me. His speed would have knocked Andrew down hard. His owner called him again, and with my son firmly in my arms, the dog turned around and starting trotting back.
I remember thinking that if I ever have a dog, I’ll make sure he’s trained to stop immediately and come back to me when I call him. Not only to keep children safe, but to keep my dog safe from running out into traffic or some other unsafe area.
The next summer, we got Andrew a puppy. Remembering the incident at the park, I researched training methods and discovered clicker training and the reliable recall. I learned that the best time to start clicker training dogs is when they’re puppies. Just like little kids, puppies are curious, excited, and into everything. But puppies want to please you. So I used the clicker to train our puppy to sit, lie down, heel, and other behaviors.
After a few weeks of clicker training, we began spending about 10-15 minutes every day clicker training and practicing the reliable recall, “Come, Woody”! (Yes, he’s named after Toy Story’s fearless sheriff Woody, Andrew’s favorite Disney character.) The reliable recall is described by animal trainer Kathy Sdao as the ability to “call your dog once and she immediately begins running straight toward you as fast as she can, and then stops within touching distance. Sitting in front of you isn’t necessary, but it is important that your dog be close enough for you to hold her collar and attach a leash.”
As Woody became accustomed to the command, I used clicker training and the reliable recall regularly in different situations: with distractions, with noise, when he was playing with my son and when he was playing at the dog park with other dogs. There have been several situations when I needed to use the reliable recall, and almost every time he has come. I’ve since clicker trained him to play Frisbee and do a number of tricks, such as play dead and shake hands. I still use clicker training to keep reinforcing “Come, Woody”!
Woody loves to play with little kids, but I still remember that day in the park with Andrew. I would never want a parent to fear for their child that Woody would hurt them, and with clicker training and the reliable recall, I keep Woody a safe distance away.
Diane Andrews
Dog lover and clicker training fan
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