George has always had really good recall.
I think it's less to do with training (although we did learn some good techniques at puppy school) and more to do with his attachment to me. One time when hyper-attachment works in your favour!
I only had to say his name and he would stop in his tracks and come back to me. He never ventured too far from my side.
But when he is going through a confident stage, which is amazing to see of course, his recall is awful!
We went to a Sniffspot the other day which has a steep and high drop (for a little dog). George has always approached it with caution and would always recall to me if I thought he was getting too close.
On this day, he ignored me entirely. My calling his name became increasingly panicked (something I am aware you are not supposed to do!) but he was absolutely determined.
Down he went - half falling, half deliberately.
I dropped my bag and ran over. I had to scramble down into the creek to lift him out.
Luckily the water wasn't too deep that day. Although he loves a paddle, he has not yet been brave enough to venture for a swim!
On our next visit, he wanted to do exactly the same.
As much as I am loving the new-found confidence and curiosity, I am not sure about the determination and lack of listening skills!
It led me to reflect on George's 'normal' dog training. I'm a bit worried the basic skills are being neglected.
We haven't been practicing loose leash walking for example as we're not going on 'normal' walks at the moment, just Sniffspots.
I know we could work on his recall (on a longline if needed) at Sniffspots but I enjoy watching him just sniff and explore. It seems a bit mean to make it a training session.
I need to find a balance I think. I am focusing so much on managing reactivity, managing the environment and building confidence. But I need to make time to continue to reinforce those core skills of loose leash walking, and most importantly, focus, engagement and connection with me. All of which do help with reactivity.
I'm not particularly bothered whether he can do cues like sit and down in public. But I need to make sure the skills which keep him safe are not neglected.