Kroki

Question · Puppy

How do I teach my puppy to come when called?

The short answer

Start at home, where nothing competes with you. Say your recall cue once, for example “Here!”, crouch down or take a few steps away, and reward your puppy with a tasty treat and a cuddle the moment it reaches you. Only call when you are almost sure it will come. Outdoors, keep it on a long line until the cue works there too. Kroki, a reward-based training app for puppies and dogs, builds the “Here!” recall in short steps and adapts the pace after each exercise.

How to do it, step by step

  1. Use the following phase

    In their first weeks at home, most young puppies like to stay near you and trot after you from room to room. Use that: whenever your puppy runs towards you on its own, say “Here!” just as it arrives and hand over a treat. The word gets linked to a move it is already making.

  2. Play the name-and-run game indoors

    Say your puppy’s name in a happy voice and back away a few quick steps. When it follows, reward it right at your feet. Two or three repeats make one round, and one or two minutes is a whole session.

  3. Call once from the next room

    When it comes every time in one room, call from the doorway of another, then from behind the sofa. Say the cue one time only. If nothing happens, fetch your puppy calmly and make the next try easier.

  4. Make arriving the best part of the day

    Keep the best treats for recall: tiny bits of cheese or chicken rather than everyday kibble. Pay several pieces one after another, touch the harness gently, and then let your puppy go back to what it was doing.

  5. Garden first, then the long line

    Practise in a fenced garden next, then on walks with a long line of five to ten metres clipped to a harness. Call when your puppy is already turning towards you, not when its nose is deep in an exciting smell.

  6. Never call for the end of the fun

    Avoid calling only to clip the lead on, go home or do something your puppy dislikes, such as a bath. For those moments, walk over and pick it up. That way, being called stays a promise of good things.

Training a grown dog instead?

An adult dog brings a longer history with it: maybe it has learned that coming means the end of play, or it follows its nose after deer and hares. Then you often start with a brand-new cue word, practise outdoors in careful stages and get help with hunting drive. The page for grown dogs covers all of that.

Why the welcome matters more than the call

What your puppy gets when it arrives decides whether it hurries next time. When researchers let dogs choose between a person who stroked them and a person who praised them with words, the dogs stayed far longer with the one who stroked them, and praise alone drew them no closer than no attention at all (Feuerbacher and Wynne 2015). So when your puppy reaches you, a treat plus a gentle stroke says “well done” much more clearly than “good dog” called from a distance.

Little and often suits a puppy’s brain, and rest days count too. In one study, dogs trained once a week needed fewer sessions to master a task than dogs trained five times a week (Meyer and Ladewig 2008). Another, with 44 beagles, found that one or two training days a week beat daily practice, and that a single session beat three back to back (Demant and colleagues 2011). Those dogs learned one set task, not a recall, but the lesson carries over: a few quick calls, then play and rest, rather than a long drill.

Rewards also work for this exact cue. In a trial with 63 pet dogs, the group taught by reward-focused trainers came on the first call more often and set off back sooner than dogs trained with remote electric collars (China, Mills and Cooper 2020).

A plan for the first weeks

  • First week at home: reward every time your puppy comes to you by itself, and say “Here!” as it arrives.
  • Second week: the name-and-run game in the living room and kitchen, a few short rounds spread over the day.
  • Third week: calls from another room and in the garden. A family member can hold the puppy gently and let go as you call.
  • After that: first walks on a long line, with one or two easy recalls per walk, each followed by “Free!” so your puppy can sniff again.

Common mistakes

  • Calling again and again. “Here, here, HERE!” teaches your puppy that the first call can be ignored.
  • Chasing it. Running after a puppy turns recall into a catch-me game, so run the other way instead.
  • Scolding a late arrival. However long it took, arriving earns a treat, or the next recall will be slower.
  • Letting it off lead too early. The urge to follow you fades as your puppy grows braver, often in the teenage months, so keep the long line on in open spaces.

When to see a professional

Never let your puppy off lead near roads, railway lines or wildlife until its recall is reliable there. Talk to a professional if:

The help pages list services in Germany, Austria and Switzerland only. Elsewhere, ask your vet practice who they recommend near you.

Frequently asked questions

When can I start recall training with my puppy?

You can start on the day your puppy moves in, indoors and without distractions. Reward it whenever it comes to you, and add the cue as it arrives.

Should I call my puppy by its name or use a special recall word?

Use a special recall word such as “Here!”. You say your puppy’s name all day long, often without anything following, so a separate word stays clearer and keeps its value.

Why does my puppy come indoors but not in the park?

Because the park is full of smells, dogs and people that compete with you. Go back to easy calls at close range there, on a long line, and pay with better treats than at home.

Can my puppy run off lead on its first walks?

Only in a safe, fenced area. On open walks a long line on a harness gives your puppy freedom while you stay connected, until the recall also works outdoors.

Is a dog whistle a good idea for a puppy recall?

Yes, a whistle can work well, because it sounds the same every time and carries far. Teach it exactly like a word: blow, then reward generously the moment your puppy arrives.

What do I do if my puppy runs away when I call?

Don’t chase it; turn and move away from it, crouch down or make an interesting noise. Most puppies follow. Next time, call from a shorter distance or at a calmer moment.

How many recalls should I practise with a puppy each day?

Around five to ten well-spread recalls a day are plenty for a young puppy. A couple of quick ones every few hours work better than a long block of repeats.

Sources