One way to really supercharge your dog’s recall is by encompassing fun games. Once you have taught your dog to target your hand with their nose it can become an excellent alternative to your usual recall.

Start by practicing the hand touch in a quiet location, mark and reward your dog as soon as they contact your hand with their nose.

Gradually start to increase the distance you are from your dog before you cue them to touch. Reward your dog each time they succeed. Be sure to choose a reward that your dog loves. This could be tasty treats, play with their favorite toy or plenty of fuss and praise.

Build up to running away from your dog each time and cueing them to touch. Your dog will need to run to catch up with you and this will build more urgency and excitement into the game.

When your dog is responding really quickly when you call them you can take this game on the road and practice in different locations. Make sure you keep your dog safe by practicing on a long line and harness until your dog’s recall is excellent even around distractions,

By making it exciting and building up the difficulty in stages this will become one of your dog’s favorite games to play and a really reliable recall prompt.