Recall training: so much easier with the right culinary aid
When we’re out and about and Renae and Susie-Belle are heading off to mooch with their pals and smell the smells it can sometimes be a challenge getting them both to come back to us without adequate culinary persuasion. Now with Susie-Belle we’re always having a dilemma over how much to recall her as it took her months before she felt confident enough to leave our heels and wander off with Renae and others to do what dogs do, so it always seem a little odd to now be harking on and calling her back too frequently. We also love to watch her pottering around on her own on the periphery of the field, taking in all the aromas she finds to take in, as well as leaving her own; it’s easy to take for granted this normal canine behaviour until you live with a dog for whom normal was being tied up in a pen with no knowledge of the outside world.
But, a good recall is an essential thing in our view for dogs to master if they’re to truly enjoy the freedom of off-lead walks and the unbounded joy of running free with their friends. So, we’ve been working on it and keep working on it with both the girls and now, we’ve found the ultimate low fat, nutritious, yet-to-fail recall aid all schnauzers should know about: tiny dried fish.
They’re a handy size for a miniature schnauzer, this give you an idea of how neat a mouthful they make:
They stink to high heaven, just the aromatic cue needed to encourage Susie-Belle to come skipping back to us quick as a flash when she hears the call, or I blow the whistle. Trouble is, all the dogs in the area can also smell them a mile away and come trotting up to me, noses all aquiver.
