New Puppy Guardian: How to coach a reliable recall - Updated July 2026

Getting a puppy is one of the most exciting things you will ever do. It is also one of the most important stretches of training a dog will ever get — the habits and skills you build in those first months set the tone for everything that follows.

Recall is one of the big ones. A reliable recall keeps your dog safe, gives you the freedom to let them off lead, and — done properly — builds the kind of relationship where your dog wants to come back to you, not one where they feel they have to.

That last bit matters. A good recall is not obedience. It is the puppy choosing you over whatever else is happening, because coming to you has always worked out well for them.
Here is how I coach it.

Start with the right setup
​Recall is built in stages, and the first stage is always somewhere quiet. The house, before anything else. Your puppy is used to the sights and smells, and there is not much competing for their attention, so it is much easier for them to focus on what you are teaching.
Before you start, gather:

• A pouch of small, smelly treats your puppy actually likes
• A well-fitted harness or collar (if you need a hand fitting one without stress, let us know)
• A lead if you are heading outside — worth practising with a lead on inside too, so the puppy learns that lead-on does not mean the fun stops

Coaching a recall, step by step

1. Sit on the floor with your puppy and place a treat about an arm’s length away. As they eat it and turn back to you, call their name or make an encouraging sound. When they reach you, make a fuss and reward them.
2. Do the same standing.
3. Throw the treat a bit further. As they turn to come back, start moving backwards while encouraging them. When they get to you, give three rewards, one after the other. This makes coming back to you more valuable than the single treat they picked up off the floor.
4. Once they are getting the hang of it, start pairing the behaviour with a cue. A cue is a word that tells the dog what behaviour you want. In this example we will use ‘Come’.
5. As your dog comes towards you, say ‘Come’. When they arrive, mark the behaviour with a verbal marker (‘Yes’) or a clicker, and reward.

What is a marker?
A marker is a word (‘Yes’, ‘Good’, ‘Nice’) or a clicker sound that flags the exact moment your dog did the thing you wanted. It is always followed by something the puppy enjoys — food, a toy, a fuss. Over time, the puppy pairs the marker with the reward, and the reward with the behaviour. The behaviour gets repeated because the puppy has learned it works.
Food usually does the job for a puppy, but some prefer a toy or physical fuss. Find out what motivates yours and use it.

Add a release and finish with play
Once your dog has come back and been rewarded, they need to know they are free to go again.

1. Pick a release word — ‘Ok’, ‘Free’ or ‘Break’.
2. After rewarding, say the release word and gesture away from you so they know it is fine to head off and sniff.
3. Finish every session with a game. It builds the bond and it helps the learning stick. Puppies often love a gentle game of tug.
4. As your puppy starts to understand the cue, you can use it before they are already coming to you. Call their name and ‘Come’, and they should turn and run in. Mark and reward as they arrive, then release.

Do not rush it
Everything above is the full framework — but it is meant to be spread over several sessions, not crammed into one. Keep coaching short: five to ten minutes at a time, depending on age. A couple of sessions a day is plenty. When puppies get tired, mistakes creep in and frustration follows, so stop before either of you gets there.
The other rule I hold to is this: only call your puppy when you are 95 to 100% sure they are going to come back. Every time you call and they do not come, they are learning that the cue is optional. That is much harder to unpick than it is to avoid in the first place.

Set them up to succeed
Recall is easier in some environments than in others, so build the difficulty gradually. Think of it like a video game — level 1 first, work up from there.

• Level 1: In the home
• Level 2: In the garden
• Level 3: On a quiet side street
• Level 4: A field with no other dogs or people
• Level 5: A field or park with dogs, people, or children, or a busy high street

If your puppy starts sniffing, scratching, or drinking mid-session, they are probably finding it too much. Give them a break, and come back later at an easier level.

Troubleshooting

• Adolescence hits from around 16 weeks and often looks like your puppy has forgotten everything. It has not. Take the training back to basics, lower your expectations for the harder environments, and be patient.
• If you always mark, reward, and release straight away, some dogs learn to hoover up the treat and take off again. Vary the timing. Sometimes reward and release, sometimes reward and ask for something else (a hand touch, a sit), sometimes scatter a few treats on the floor.
• Occasionally clip the lead on during a recall before releasing again. If the lead going on always means the walk is ending, the puppy learns to avoid the recall.
• In busier environments, use a harness and long line. If they do not recall immediately, do not pull — wait for them to re-engage. When they do, it is party time.

Adding variety
Keep it interesting by mixing in a few games:

• Through the legs — as your dog runs in, throw the treat between your legs so they run through to get it. Keeps their speed up. If you cannot do the through-the-legs version, turn side-on and throw the treat past your hip.
• Hand touch — teach your dog to touch the palm of your hand with their nose for a reward. Then use it at the end of a recall.
• Scent game — when they arrive, scatter a few treats on the floor for them to sniff out.

Where it goes next
Recall sits alongside a few other skills that quietly make everything else easier — calm on lead, working around distractions, being able to settle when the day gets busy. If any of those feel like the missing piece, our peACEful Walks sessions cover the lead-work half of the same puzzle, and our ACE Puppy package rolls the whole first-few-months foundation into one programme.
Find out more about our puppy support.

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