Category: Common Problems ¤
  Author: Calvernia Vincent ¤
   Title: Roadkill Recall ¤

You have stated this perfectly.  This is, to me, a situation where the
dog's safety is at stake and I feel that a conditioned punisher is
warranted.  So, with that said, they can flame me too!!!

As far as teaching the come under all conditions, Leslie Nelson teaches
what she calls "A Really Reliable Recall".   I prefer to call it a "Road
Kill Recall" for obvious reasons.  

She has the owner spend one week of calling the dog, no more than 3
times a day, and only when you are 100% sure the dog will come. This is
not a formal recall but an emergency recall. It teaches the dog that no
matter what you are doing, drop everything and come to me.

The steps are as follows:
1 - give the owner a variety of 'wonderful' treats.
2 - the assistant takes the dog about 30 feet away and tries to distract
the dog by talking to him.
3 - the owner calls the dog.
4 - if the dog comes when called, he gets all the treats as a jackpot
and is praised, and treated for 20 seconds.
5 - set the dog up again with increasing distraction and do again

If the dog doesn't come on the first call, the owner runs to another dog
and plays with it and gives all the cookies to it.  The assistant turns
into a post (no reinforcement whatsoever) and the dog has to stand there
and watch the owner give all the fun and cookies to the other dog!.  
The next time you set this up, the dog usually comes running.  The most
number of  repeats I've had to do was 5 with a Dalmatian.  Usually the
dogs learn this on the first try.

You gradually up the distractions until the dog is actually eating food
from the assistant's hand.

Then take the training on the road. 

The one thing she stresses is that the dog must come on the first call.
Her reasoning, and I agree, is that if the dog has to think about
coming, it could very well be dead.

I have done this in clicker classes and it has been a big hit.  The dogs
learn very quickly where the reinforcement is coming from.  After about
the 3rd week of class, the assistant can't even distract the dogs not
matter what they do.!!!!  

What I like about teaching this recall is that you control all of the
consequences.  Both good (cookies) and bad (no attention whatsoever).
If you can't control what happens when the dog chooses not to come then
the dog learns to weigh it's options and by the time he makes his
decision he is roadkill!!!!