04/03/2026
Many people don't believe that their dog is capable of recall, especially if they have a high drive dog such as Dachshunds.
Dachshunds despite their size have incredible prey drive and a great sense of smell which is often mistaken for stubbornness. These drives can often get them into trouble.
When teaching recall we should make this experience as fun & engaging for the dog so they enjoy coming back to us. We also need to teach our dogs that recall is not optional (we may need to recall them to prevent accidents or keep them safe).
Step 1: Teach recall in a low stakes environment such as a hallway or living room by using games such as partner recall, rewards positive outcomes and use a lead if needed to bring the dog to you.
Step 2: Once you achieve 80 - 90% success rate progress to the garden or a quiet area outside, use a long line to enforce the recall if your dog ignores you & rewards successful reps.
Step 3: Once you start to have a solid recall you can use private fields to let go of the long line and call your dog, advance to moderate distraction areas and reward every successful rep and pick up the long line and reel them in if needed. You MUST enforce the recall!
Step 4: You can progress to off leash freedom in more distracting environments, if you need an extra safety belt you can use e-collars to ultimate off lead freedom.
DISCLAIMER: ALWAYS CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL TRAINER BEFORE USUING E-COLLARS, SO THE PROCESS IS DONE CORRECTLY SAFELY.
E- collars are for communication with your dog, NOT a weapon.
Top Tips;
1) Be enthusiastic & enjoy the process
2) Be consistent with your cues to avoid confusion
3) Always enforce the recall if your dog ignores you (this is non-negotiable)
4) Only progress to more challenging areas once you have a high success rate!
