If you were to imagine the worst possible fault that your dog could have, what would it be?

• A poor sit/stay


• Stealing food off your table


• Showing signs of aggression


• Bad or non-existent recall


• Guarding toys and bones


• Poor house training


• Chewing or other destructive behaviour

Now all of the above faults are undesirable and should be addressed, but for me one of the worst and most dangerous faults (for your dog) is a bad recall. The other faults can be upsetting and antisocial, but bad recall can be lethal or cost you hundreds of dollars in legal fees for damage caused. Without a rock solid recall how are you going to stop your dog from disappearing into the distance? It's downright inconvenient, not to say embarrassing!

You're left standing (or running toward your dog - big mistake by the way) like an idiot shouting his name at the top of your voice "Buster,Come!", "BUSTER,COME!!", your voice getting louder and more desperate with each call. Your dog, on the other hand, is having a great time following some interesting scent and thinking "Ok, ok I heard you the first time - I'll be back when I've finished"

Normally, this is not too much of a problem. Your dog will eventually come back before you blow a gasket and although you're thoroughly hacked off, all ends well.

But (and it's a big but). What happens when your dog is running towards danger? Maybe a busy road that has claimed many dogs' lives already. Your dog's very life is at risk and there is nothing you can do about it! You can't outrun him and he's completely deaf to your calls.

This has happened to me and I can assure you, once was quite enough. The sight of my dog's rear end disappearing into the distance at the speed of light and heading for a busy road was one of the worst moments of my life. A dog that will recall instantly is not a luxury but a necessity, and it's only a matter of time before something similar is going to happen to you.

Recall training is not difficult and if you are starting out with a young puppy your job is even easier. Start researching how to train your dog to recall now - not tomorrow or next week, but now. Any time invested into recall training will pay you back many times over. You will form a stronger bond with your dog and in the long run you'll both be happier.

And your lovely dog may live a whole lot longer.

Learn more about how Training your dog to recall could save his life and save you thousands of dollars. With over 20 years experience handling dogs let me help you put the joy back into dog ownership.

For more Dog Training Tips and articles please visit my Dog Training Tales website.

Laura Rose Kemp

Source: www.isnare.com