Motivating the dog for the recall and separating it from the sit, down and stand stays

The first step is to give the dog speed–to make it come as fast as its legs will carry it when called. For this we use the ball and a great deal of repetition. We prevent this repetition from ruining the down and stand stays by the simple expedient of not using them to practice the recall. Instead of leaving the dog on a stay we give the animal to an assistant, who keeps it from following the handler by holding the dog’s collar.

The handler leaves his dog with the assistant and runs away across the field. The dog is under no command at all. It is free to bark and lunge and surge into the collar, and its handler encourages it to do so by calling to it excitedly and throwing the ball up in the air. The handler runs perhaps sixty or seventy yards, until the dog’s frustration at watching him go drives the animal into a perfect frenzy of excitement. The handler then turns to face the dog, pauses and, in very formal posture and voice, calls “Come!” The assistant releases the animal, which vents its frustration by sprinting into a dead run toward its master.

When the animal draws near, within twenty or thirty feet of its handler and coming in fast, the handler suddenly throws the ball. The direction of the throw is important: The handler always throws the ball behind him, over his shoulder or between his legs, in order to bring the dog in straight. The animal will spring closely past him, grab the ball and then the handler praises it exuberantly.

Quite naturally and properly, coming to its master will soon be the dog’s favorite obedience exercise.

2. Teaching a close, straight come‑fore position

The next step is to teach the dog to sit close and straight in front when it comes to its handler. We cannot accomplish this by running long recalls across the field, because a well‑motivated dog will come scorching in and undoubtedly bounce off the handler (being knocked down is not uncommon) and then sit crookedly. So, we teach the dog to come‑fore perfectly from a short distance before we ever ask it to do so from all the way across the field.

The handler begins by repeatedly calling the dog from a sit stay, but no farther than one leash length, so that the animal stays calm and moves slowly. By using his hands and the ball to attract the dog to the middle of his body, the handler can center the animal perfectly. Each time the dog starts to sit crookedly, the handler steps back a pace, repeating the “Come! Sit!” commands, and again attempts to guide the dog into a straight come‑fore position. Only when the dog is sitting straight and close does the handler throw the ball.