What to do When Your Dog Runs Away and Doesn’t Take You Seriously. Improve Your Recall & Control.

I thought Joel was even more intense than usual… then I realised I had the player set on 1.25 speed 😅

This session was so impressive. There is something to the body language aspect. My dog used to do this and once even did the game out of our yard and into the neighborhood. She would not come to me, but the second my husband showed up, she sat down and knew the game was over.

Dog: "I'll be happy to come, as soon as hell freezes over."

I call that the Terminator. Just walk directly at then without any obvious shortcuts, no turning back around an obstacle. It goes from the best game they always win to an alarmed yet strangely inevitable surrender. Pointing your shoulders at them repeatedly is noticed across the board.

I can speak from exp that there is a part of this where the Owners feels guilty bc they want the dog to be having a good time. Once I got over that it was day and night. My dog used to love to steal my work glove and I would chase him to get it. He loved...LOVED running away. Once I changed my approach and it was no longer fun, he all but stopped taking it. Now when he does its all about me calling for him to return it and he LOVES returning it.

THANK YOU! This is the #1 issue I deal with at the no kill animal rescue I volunteer at. I was pretty much doing the right thing, but seeing you explain it gives me more confidence and thinking about how you did it will probably improve my impact on the dogs as well. I have a feeling that this is the biggest and one of the most annoying issues dog owners deal with. I think you should consider pinning this video for others to find easily.

It reminds me of a time I was watching my neighbours' golden retriever. My neighbours were both quite old and not that mobile, so when they got a new pup they never really had the strength or energy to discipline her. Fast forward two years, and I had an incredibly sweet but totally disobedient dog bouncing around in my yard. She got hold of something she shouldn't and I tried to take it away, but she turned it into a game of "come chase me". Of course there was no way I could catch her, but it wasn't a very big yard so instead I just steadily followed and cornered her. It took a solid 15 minutes to wear her down, but eventually I got the outcome I wanted. During the whole time she looked incredibly confused, I think it was the first time she ever experienced a human not just letting her do whatever she wanted.

Oh, the "go nuts" he understood very clearly. :D Love videos like this one, and seeing the whole process and how much patience it takes to give them structure.

When he was a puppy, I regularly told my boy sternly "It's NOT a game!!!" coupled with a stern neutral/unimpressed (not angry) face everytime single time he ran away from me in the house or garden. I then followed up with Joel's 'Go Get Method' every single time. It works! The chase me game is no fun if you're the only one playing it. He's 2 years old now and has great recall on both voice and whistle commands. Also, I never ever played games where I chase him - I always made him chase me..... that's the game we play around here - that and hide and seek. Works perfectly for reinforcing recall if I run off in the opposite direction he will always follow me - indoors or outdoors, it has huge value to him because he wants to be with me and doesn't want to lose me. I still hide and run from him loads just to reinforce what he has learned. I also try not to repeat my commands - I will go from voice to whistle if needed but then I will either go get him or run off!

Every country needs a minister of pet handling and education like you and i mean it.

This is so my 1 year old golden retriever boy. He lives to play that's it and everything on this Earth is meant for him to play with.

In my experience, a long leash is a great way to start with recall/getting rid of the game. Get a long enough long leash, like a few meters and just let it drag behind your dog. Then call him. The moment he ignores you or tries to run away, stand on the line. You have to be quick but it's a great way for DIRECT feedback to the dog. Do it enough times so he gets it. Then you can start with longer distances and go back to the long leash if that doesn't work. It has helped me a lot. Maybe this will help people here.

Dang! The dog caved too easily. I was hoping to watch Joel chase him all day lol

I think it's inspirational that you manage to change the dog's behaviour in a few minutes

Bro, you have been integral in transforming my lunatic Aussie puppy. She's 5 months old and is more obedient and confident than every dog I meet. People just don't put effort into learning and training their animals. Thanks so much!

This is my dog. Stealing anything from shoes to napkins was a game. She's the 4th Rough Collie that's blessed me. She turned 2 today and I turned 68 last month. She has learned when I'm playing and not playing. In the beginning it took body positioning and a firm voice. Now she complies with calm tone and even calmer "please" which seems to fascinate my wife. Generally, collies respond better to a firm but gentle approach, if that makes any sense.

My German Shepherd did this as a pup when we called him to come back into the house (we had this huge green area right outside our backdoor that we let him out to play in several times a day), after he had done it a few times we simply decided not to entertain him on the "chase me" game and instead turned in the direction of the house, ran inside and closed the door with him still outside. Not one minute later he was outside the door, desperate to get in. Not only did he not try the "chase me" game again, but a new game was born, the "race me to get inside". Other than that he was always very good when called.

Super informative video . But also so much fun to see a playful dog. Joel does it all ❤!!!

I really loved how you caught him the first time, firmly but not painful. Until very recently we lived in a house right next to the woods and every person who came to walk their dog thought it was a good idea to let them "say hi to their friend" aka our guard dog through the fence. It was impossible to have a dog who didn't bark because they were doing their job and many people would linger and (un)knowingly taunted our dogs in place of ignoring them and walking on. I tried to work with our current big dog on toning the barking down as it was really loud and constant, but it's complicated when all the family members are not on the same length. When our big dog barked excessively I would call him to me and reward his coming to me, but my brother said I was rewarding the barking. Another time, our dog was barking excessively again and my brother called him, the dog stopped barking and came to my brother who hit him "for barking". From that day on, my brother could not call that dog to come to him and if he went after the dog it would walk away and stay a good distance away from my brother. Dogs aren't stupid, but they're also not all-knowing, so people have to be careful and thoughtful about reward and punishment (I don't condone hitting, whether it be an animal or a person). I am always baffled when people don't understand that when a dog stops what it is doing and comes to you when called, that means the dog is listening to you and that is what you are rewarding, not the thing they were doing before you called them 🤦🏽‍♀️

My dog knows it’s serious when I use our Welsh command. 😂

I remember a highly intelligent Chocotate Lab named Dolly. She was rescued from living down by the train tracks by my grandmother. This dog would act differently when it was with different people. With my grandmother it would not run. It was a bit protective of her. With me, the dog knew when I wanted to walk with her and when I wanted to let the dog run along side of me. I was in fair shape back then, so jogging was not a big deal for me. My brother knew how to handle the dog. Other people in my family who were older knew how to handle the dog. My cousin who is only a few years younger than me had no control. He did not know how to communicate with the animal. Hyperactive energy with a small build. This dog practically dragged my cousin when he had the leash. I was there to make sure my cousin was trained to handle the dog. Because, the dog was better trained than he was. Dolly passed away at 15 years. Still the best dog I have ever met in my life, a shame she is gone, rest in peace.

It’s always weird to me how strongly people try to use treats when the behaviour is so obviously more reinforcing than the treat

Your videos never fail to come up in the exact moments when i have questions about that specific certain behaviour and how to train the dog! I thank you for these videos !! they are really informative aswell!

It’s all about the attitude of the human. I work with dogs for a living as well and this is an easy fix. But the difficult part is teaching the owner about attitude.

4:11 😂😂😂 omg cracked me up. He’s really good at the “go nuts!” Part lol. What a silly goose lol. Its hard to stay annoyed when they’re that cute lol 😝😂

"Im not gonna give into the game" *proceeds to chase dog*

YES!! This is exactly what I needed to see! Not some dopey yellow lab that you can walk right up to and grab when he doesn't come to you. THANKS!!

I couldn't be that focused! I would play with this Golden every day :D

All true. However, as a trainer myself, I constantly struggle with how to convey this concept to the OWNERS, not the dogs. Yes, I can get the dogs to stop unwanted behavior, but what pays my rent is that people keep coming to me to do it for them. Some learn, certainly, but most come to me to correct a certain behavior only to have it pop up again in another area because they can't wrap their minds around the idea of gaining/earning/expecting/requiring respect from their animals. It's really basic and it consistently amazes me how people (possibly Americans more than others??) treat their pets as special needs children. Dogs LIKE leadership and were bred to serve, not the other way around. You are already personal chef, chauffeur and masseuse. This is a sweet deal for them, and there is nothing wrong with providing ground rules and guidelines that need to be adhered to in exchange for these benefits. And remember, trained dogs don't end up having to be euthanized or rehomed. Everybody wins.

Beautiful explanation sir, you nailed it 😀

This is vital dog training materials. Great stuff 👍 i have both my dogs trained off leash but they were both pretty well behaved dogs from start. I did the "firm but fair" approach lol

Let's review: Put on your best dad voice and pursue with your most intimidating Jason walk

AWESOME thank you Joel!

"This guy is a joke" -Jet

3:56 the way he was sprawled out is so cute 😅😅😅 thanks for another informative video Joel!

That's why I used leashes & tie out cords to train them to come & worked up to no restraints before ever trusting them off-lead. I do structured play with them & wear them out first & then let them wander around the yard with me. Once they decided to chase a deer, that popped up unexpectedly but came back after several calls so that was high excitement for them. After that I went back to the long leads & exposed them to more deer moving through the yard (I just took them out to potty early in the morning when the deer were out) until their recall was good with the deer. Vehicles were never an issue because they were introduced to walks around towns & cities early on as well & they could see for themselves how scary vehicles were at speed & they were smart enough to realize that they wanted none of that.

Love your stuff man

I like your yard! It is amazing ✨

Jett was out there living his best life!

Very well done by you. Patience patience patience

This is exactly why i couldn't be a dog owner, or any animal owner to be fair, shit like this would irritate and infuriate me to NO end! I'd get so mad at this kind of thing, not being respected or taken seriously is super maddening to me, and I'd probably take that out on the animal. Good thing that i know this though, now i know I'm unfit for the responsibility of an animal

2:59 "good boy, he is not great but his not great boy" I can relate to this statement so much.😂😅 Im happy to witness this training, this how trained my dogs as well. It takes time omg.. "to get rid of the game". I learned so much trying to "catch my dog" when getting loose. I learnt energy matters (My energy matters) and reward with care. And getting upset at myself and my environment won't help me or my dog. To be honest this how I improved my recall as well. With treats and with out (honestly it was because I forgot the treats) but then I learned the moment of giving the treat was que. OMG so many memories (good and bad) but it made me an "OK" dog pack leader.. Thank you for sharing

Follow through. Every. Single. Time.

Great video!!!! And yes, I laughed although I apologize because it it NOT funny. You're so good "pure joy!!" Yes!!! Because I have experienced this personally................and it IS a dilemma. We worked really hard - every day - on recall and I followed excellent advice by admitting it was MY fault for not being clear enough or consistent enough. Now, at 14 months old, my dog "gets" that he has to 'listen" to my directions or " back on the leash" or "end of game - time out" . Huge rewards for "recall" and it's really improved.

I have a 7 month old goldie whos just as hyper, thanks for this :)

Well done sir

This is vital dog training materials. Great stuff i have both my dogs trained off leash but they were both pretty well behaved dogs from start. I did the "firm but fair" approach lol

Hi Joel!! Amazing video!!! My dog Lilly only comes back to me once every other day! I’m getting the gentle leader and a muzzle this weekend! It’s a game to her of hide and seek! Thanks for helping me get through to my dog that the leash and recall is not a game anymore but a serious learning process.😎❤️🐶🐕‍🦺🦅🦋🐠💝🐳❤️

Haha, reminds me of my malti-poo that passed... If he got out of the backyard he would rip and play... I always got him back by rattling car keys and he thought he would go for a ride. He was a free spirit and cool dog.

Dealing with this with my dog. He runs off and runs into streets and just plays. I had to get a remote training collar because he was so stubborn with it. He tried once and just the vibrations on it got his attention

Thank you now I know which part to give it a hard pat at.

I have a husky and when I first got him... I had to chase him multiple times but we've been working off leash lately and he's doing incredible. He stays within 10 feet of me and if I stop and tell him to stop he will stop. He'll turn around and look at me and take a few more steps. And I'll repeat, stop when he will stop and then I say come and he will come, so he is doing incredibly well...way better than I have ever expected. On one of those "chases" I blew out both of my hamstrings and was laid up for quite a while. So this is important that he understands when it's time to play and when it isn't.

I love your videos please keep making them and can we have the longer ones back please ? I find it useful to watch it over and over especially when you show the dogs behaving in a certain way and the slow motion stops are so helpful and help me to notice more that I hadn't seen before thank you

Soooo helpful!!

Wow! Yes! Great video! Success!

Thank you!

Thank you. I needed this. Comment for algorithm.

I got a puppy. I know hes going be this type of dog. Thank you for your time and information

This video is very helpful. However, some people, the elderly or those with physical disabilities, cannot chase their dog down. One method I've learned some 20 years ago and while It might not take the 'game' out of it - at least it's helped me get my dog to come to me.....is... After calling your dog,, don't play the chase game if you are physically not able too....but instead...turn and walk away...and act like you are ignoring them. I've found this will often trigger a dog to stop their game and go to you....because they do not want to be left behind. Don't keep calling the dog. When the dog comes up to you ...then without saying anything once it's close enough, reach down and get hold of the the collar, have the dog sit, then put the leash on. Say "good boy' and pet the dog. but not go overboard with it - go on without too much further ado about it. This has worked for me in the past. I do love the advice in this video... I will be showing it to a few nieces of mine who got high energy dogs but they lack dog understanding/training skills. As I said, the walking away has worked for me, but it's not a quick fix. Eventually my dogs learned when I walked away the fun and games were over....but when you NEED you dog to come to you, because there is a danger or whatever ...the dog Should obey.

What a great video ! 😊

My rescue English Pointer does this...I learned to turn my back on him and do your "come" like a loud cough. It helped. I live in a busy neighborhood near busy streets, so I can't take chances anymore....he's on a 20 ft. tether all the time because he laughs at the 6' fence. Hunting dogs are often unadopted and killed after a long wait...but I was raised with pointers and love him very much.

hey Joel , i wanna say thank you , cause 1 day there were 2 guys to deliver apliances to my house and so my black lab was in my mom's bedroom wit the door shut so he made 1 bark imediately remembered your training method so knocked on the door after that never made a sound til the guys left then i let him out fast forward to this past saturday and i started to train him that if somebody knocks on my door to relax siting with a flat tail then let them in then his reward is their affection and almost imediately after couple minutes he understood then i demonstrated the method to his grandma and it felt rewarding to train him to relax calm when he hears a knock on the door , Mr.Beckman i realize that my place in the world is to train my dog and *if or when i can , help other owners and their dog* to be respectable*

Exactly what i needed

Zach could have never done this. Good job Joel!

Those dog/owner interactions are so entertaining to watch at the dog park

This was so subtle it seemed like pure Joel-magic😂. Hugs to all you guys & Princey.🐾🙏🏽

So good. I know 'that' dog so well. Great demonstration and breakdown. Had me laughing out loud....thanks for the video.

My best trick for getting the dog to run for me is do all the body language of crouching down excitedly for hugs and belly rubs. Works. Every. Time.

Thank you for doing this video. It’s reassuring to see a trainer not use treats to superficially procure temporary behavior adjustments, and instead focus on the relationship dynamics, in pursuit of lasting change.

Great video.

My dog be playing me like a play station 😂😂 he doesn’t take me serious at alllll

I have a 'Golden' exactly like this one, and he does the exact same thing! Really pisses me off!

My dog wants to go on an adventure and will if i attempt to follow and catch him. If i remajn in the yard until he returns, he comes back much sooner. I have found rewarding him with walks and pets is the best way to build a positive training experience. He is oriented towards politeness, instead of food. Saying thank you after he obeys a command gives him positive feedback as well.

I'm so grateful for this video and your advice. My dog is almost 3 and recently started this game when she doesn't feel like coming back in the house so I want to fix this before it becomes a more serious problem. I'd like to believe she is like 80% recallable, we are just working through that last 20% now and it seems to be whenever I haven't wore her out enough and she wants more stimulation from me. the training never ends lol but I like the learning. glad my dog is patient with me

Great video Joel. You mention in this one about " giving him somewhere to come to" with the hand down for the "come". I watched one of your old videos the other day that covers the come command, and making it more specific, like the nose touching the hand. My come command was way too vague, I questioned where exactly was I asking him to come to and it varied depending on the situation, which was no good at all. Now a "come" means come and touch my hand with your nose! It took no more than a day to train up and it makes a world of difference. Thanks again! Please keep sharing the wisdom 👍🐶♥️

Emotions escalate when there is no fence. Only highways and big endless looking farm fields. It’s get them back or they are lost and possible dead soon. I finally got my dog back after this game. I leashed him and popped my leg and over his head with anything that makes noise. Used my hat at the time. Scary noises because I also raise my voice. Light tugs and a firm tight leash hold back to the house. When we got back to the house, I did the “talking to”. Doggie wanted back in the house after the 100 yrd scolding, and popping of my hat against my body. Once back to the house I did the whole “do you understand?” bit. I could see in his eyes he was done. I brushed his side with my hat and he yelped. I did that to see if he took this seriously. There was no pain, only fear. Fear is much worse than pain . He’s never done it since. And is a good boy to this day. It actually hurt me when he cried. I should’ve stopped right before that, but I was so afraid of what he had just done. Emotions came in. Cars and coyotes surround this area. He’s a great dog and we love him very much. So be careful with your emotions. Firm but steady.

I had to condition my outdoor dog to come because he would get loose and wander our semi-rural area and carry off neighbors' chickens or hunt wildlife (he came home proudly with a deer spine one day). So I decided to SUPER reward him when he came if I shrieked his name really happily. Then I would give him a hole piece of lunch meat. Worked like a charm. He'd be trotting down the lane happy as a clam when we accidentally left the gate open one day. I shrieked his name so he could hear me and he spun around and tore back up the hill. I had to dash inside the house and grab some lunch meat before he could meet me at the door. Then it REALLY came in handy when a dumb mother deer jumped into our yard one early morning. Our dog came across them (my kids were little). The mom fled over the fence but the baby kept bouncing back from it. Jake tackled it and it started screaming, my kids started screaming. I shrieked 'JAKE!' And his head popped up, he ignored the fawn and came tearing up to me. I brought him in and gave him lunch meat while the kids ushered the fawn back around the house and through the gate. Getting mad at him when coming back would've just reinforced him staying away.

My dog loves to run away when I try to grab him (when outside) so this was the video I needed.

Define the motivating factor; Sensory Escape Attention Tangible Is it a sensory need? They need to scratch, fill hunger, sooth pain Is it escape? In this case that's what it is here as the escape is fun for the dog hence "a game" Is it attention? This could be a secondary aspect to the escape as the reaction and attention and engagement could be reinforcing and enabling the behavior to continue Tangible? This typically is desired access to something like a toy, treat, etc. Not the case here. Once properly identified then you have to decide on the consequence to shape the behavior from a non-desirable or non-preferred to a desired or preferred behavior or response. This is all ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis). So you must also understand the ABCs of it: Antecedent (What comes BEFORE the behavior) Behavior Consequence (What is the response; how are you reinforcing or punishing the behavior - reinforcement increases bxs and punishment decreases; there are positive (input) and negative (removal) versions of both) Here the instructor is identifying the "game" and emphasizing the need to remove that factor before trying to shape and increase recall. Well done!

He's BEAUTIFUL!!!! Great tips!

I have an eight month old standard poodle that has gotten to be unbelievably strong and so so sweet but very defiant just like this dog. I’m hoping to learn a lot here.

We have only taken in rescues, and they commonly do this very behavior. Eventually they stopped playing the game after a few times of going to get them. We just got a bulldog mix a couple of months ago that loves this game. Recently, I had to follow her for several miles back into cow pastures (on family property). She was so worn out - and so was I, quite frankly - but she eventually realized that, dang, this dude is willing to do all of that…game over I guess.

I found this especially difficult with pets of owners who treat them like an emotional napkin. Structure does not exist in that relationship. It's an extension of that person's escapist mindset and that person views discipline as constrictive They dont mind the birds leave feathers everywhere or if cats drag things in from the yard. What's the big deal, guests complaining about scratched arms as my dog jumps all over them. But leave your scarf on the couch and recieve a passive aggressive remark about it He's not lying when he says that its not bad to have expectations on your children. Pets are a joy to have and be around but you have to remember that they play a role in your household dynamic. An employee doesn't bear the same merit as a partner. While they may be an asset, they also happen to be a subordinate and will pick up on your regiment _fast_ A leader or mommy

This guy seems like someone that goes down to the dog park dressed like the guy from that movie taxi to yell at dogs "are you talking to me, are you... Talking to me!" 😂

Thank you

Amazing!

great work beck

Definitely saw the energy shift. To me seemed like he had some energy to burn off at first (super springy jumping around) and he definitely wanted to play. Surely some consistency will sort out this smart boy. As usual likely need to train the owners as much as the dog.

I swear the hardest thing to do as a trainer is not to grab the collar with frustration when the dog is playing and you aint 😂❤

I thought he was super cute and happy dog :) ❤

Ah yes, the top gun fly-by, I know that all too well 😂. I've found running in the other direction, and having a stick changes that tone real quick.

Glad this video randomly popped up on my feed. This game is exactly why I stopped taking my dog to the dog park! I let him play for 45 minutes then spent another trying to catch him and treats weren’t working. I’ll try this!

I love this video as I see this as a real video.

Great video!!! I have a really naughty Aussie! I’ve had aussies previously and they were not so naughty and very easily trained. But I have to do the sit and give her a quiet stare down so she knows I’m not rewarding her for sitting. She gets it. Fun breed but you have to be ready to work with them.

I have a pit-point mix. He sometimes gets out when he’s overly excited or anxious for walkies. However I’ve trained him through marking so he can follow his scent home, and now he knows the whole area by heart. He also no longer runs off too far from my view. He always stays now and listens to me. When I tell him to stay, he stays. When I call him and whistle, he runs over. Self training dog owner here and it worked.

A lot of people treat dogs like dumb babies, they put on a weird voice and slap their knees and their dog will never come. Body language is everything with animals, so making clear you are not to be messed with makes training your dog a lot easier! :D

I love watching you in action Joel! I gotta say i was prepared to crack up if you had to go after Jet "all day" 🤪 I love reading the comments for the collective experience and it helps reinforce the goal in my mind - to have a great dog. Your sharing of this particular problem will likely help save lives! I have trouble at times when the dog is showing so much JOY making myself follow through - i must remind myself that dog has all the other 90 some percent of the time to be joyful or goofy and this listen to me and do as i ask is important! Watching your videos helps me to do the right thing by my dog! Thank you so much, i know it takes a lot of time to make these clips, i really appreciate being able to watch them!

My lab mix likes that game/keep away. However, he received a lesson on running away and now he reads me. When it's fun & games, it's fine. But when I change my demeanor he comes immediately. However, the pit mix puppy hasn't figured it out and is now catching the keep away part, she's deaf so it's quite the learning process for all of us. So working on recall in the backyard

Love the simplicity approach, and explaining while show and tell. 👍🏻 Almost makes me think I can do it.

Joel, you have so many amazing videos, and I love your Shutzhund approach to training and corrections. However, I have to say that I have 2 phenomenal GSD's that have to have stimulation and interaction with some "I win" battles. My male wants to battle with his rubber frisbee. Tug of war is his thing. He wins every time, but he also like to play keep away. I play along as it is stimulating and he loves it. I also walk away when I'm done and he immediately comes to me and shoves the frisbee in my hand and releases immediately on command then gets a throw over and over. Not all dogs need the "I am God" treatment. 2 way streets produce the best working and family dogs on the planet. 30 years doing this taking no BS from any dog, but also giving a little. I wish I lived in Cali, you have a massive base of dumb owners and lousy breeders. Keep up the great vids.