A Recall Guide From the Dog Who Heard You and Still Chose the Ground
I did hear you.
Your voice reached my ears.
But outside, my nose is louder than sound.
Outside is not disobedience.
Outside is information.
The Part Humans Rarely Understand About Smells
Smells are not background noise.
They are stories.
- Who was here?
- How long ago?
- How did they feel?
- Where did they go next?
When I stop to sniff, I am not stalling.
I am scrolling.
This is my social media.
My news feed.
My way of understanding the neighbourhood.
If you pull me away mid-sniff, it feels like someone grabbing your phone mid-sentence.
I do not forget you.
I just need a moment.
“It’s My Walk Too”
This is something dogs feel deeply.
I have been waiting for this walk all day.
While you worked, cleaned, talked, and moved through the world, I waited.
The walk is where my brain finally gets to breathe.
If the entire walk is rules, positions, and corrections, I never get that release.
When you let me lower my nose and move at my pace for a while, something important happens.
I settle.
- After I sniff, I listen better.
- After I explore, I reconnect.
Let me have my moment first.
We can talk about rules later.
Why Heel Walking First Often Backfires
Tight structure too early fills my cup fast.
From my side, constant control feels like pressure stacked on excitement.
This is why recall often fails at the start of walks.
I am already full.
When you let me sniff first, wander a little, and get the world out of my system, my nervous system quiets.
Then, when you call, I actually hear you.
Recall Is Harder When My Needs Aren’t Met
Many humans try recall while I am still hungry for information.
That is like asking you to leave a party before you have said hello.
- Let me sniff.
- Let me read the ground.
- Let me catch up on who has been here.
Then I can choose you.
Why Saying My Name Over and Over Doesn’t Work
When you repeat my name, it blends into the environment.
From my side, repetition sounds like commentary, not connection.
If you want me to choose you, change the picture.
- Move.
- Crouch.
- Turn sideways.
- Run away.
- Bring a squeaky toy/ball in your pocket
- Hide, but badly – trees are perfect
Energy that moves away invites me.
Energy that blocks or looms makes me hesitate.
Treats Have to Compete With the World
Here is the honest truth.
The ground usually wins.
Unless what you offer is exceptional.
This is why recall works one day and fails the next.
Smells change.
Motivation changes.
Humans who succeed outside rotate rewards constantly.
- Chicken.
- Cheese.
- Something warm, smelly, and rare.
This is not bribery.
It is fair competition.
What Happens After I Come Back Matters Most
Dogs remember outcomes.
If recall always ends the walk, I hesitate next time.
If recall sometimes leads to freedom again, I gamble.
- Call me.
- Reward me.
- Release me.
That pattern builds trust.
Recall should feel like a check-in, not a trap.
The Timing Window Humans Miss
Recall works best before I am gone.
Watch my body.
- Head drops.
- Speed changes.
- Focus narrows.
That is the moment.
If you wait until I am locked onto a scent or another dog, my brain is already elsewhere.
No treat beats that.
Why You Should Let Me Off Lead Earlier, Not Later
This surprises many humans.
Waiting until adolescence to practise off-lead freedom makes recall harder.
- When I was young, I wanted to stay close.
- You are my safe base.
- Distance feels big.
This is the easiest time to learn that being off lead is normal.
If freedom only arrives when I am confident, fast, and independent, staying near you feels optional.
Early freedom, done safely, builds orientation.
Why Other Dogs Teach Me Faster Than You
This is another quiet truth.
I learn a lot by watching calm dogs.
- How they move.
- How they pause.
- How do they check in without being asked?
A steady walking partner shows me what calm looks like in motion.
Not through instruction.
Through example.
Many puppies learn recall more quickly when walking with a balanced dog than through repeated calls.
What Recall Really Is to Me
Recall is not obedience.
It is trust layered over choice.
When you let me sniff, explore, and meet my needs first, choosing you feels easy.
- When you move with me instead of anchoring me, I follow.
- When you make yourself interesting, not urgent, I come back.
What I Wish You Would Remember
I am not ignoring you.
I am learning about the world.
If you give me time to read it, I will return to you more willingly.
- Let me sniff.
- Let me scroll.
- Let me have my walk too.
When I feel heard by the environment, I listen better to you.
That is how recall grows.
- Not loudly.
- Not forcefully.
- But through understanding what matters to me.