“Finster, come.”
“Finster, come!”
“C’mon Finster!”
“Finster, come here. NOW!”
“I said come! Come Finster! C’mon, that’s right. Good Bo–. . . Holy Mother of . . . Finster! Get over here!!”
The nose knows.
Does this sound familiar? The tendency for dogs to come when called is known as “recall.” Many dogs have great recall inside the house. When outside, your dog’s recall may be, in a word, non-existent. No doubt your dog is distracted when he/she is outside, but by what? Answer: everything. Unless your dog spends the majority of the time outside, the outdoor environment offers rewards and stimulation far greater than your praise or your companionship. I’ll give you a moment to sulk about this. When you are done, meet me at the next paragraph. (more…)
(Marlowe & Company, 2007.) Mr. Stavroff is a highly experienced dog trainer specializing in positive motivational training. He has a rather stark caution on what you may be getting into if you adopt a dog from a shelter.