Do recall words matter?

Does your recall word matter? It’s the training that counts, not the word right?

Yes, regardless of whatever word you use, you’re going to want to put lots of work into training it. But could you be making it harder than it needs to be simply by using the wrong recall cue?

The wonderful behaviourist and author, Patricia McConnell Ph.D, discusses the findings of her dissertation on how different sound properties affect responses in mammal communication in her book, ‘The Other End of the Leash’, and also in her blog post

She found universally, that short, rapidly repeated notes are effectively used to increase motor activity and approach, so to call them over or speed them up. Whereas long, continuous notes are effectively used to inhibit activity, so promote slowing down or stopping.

So what does this mean for our recalls?

A really common recall word is a single, abrupt ‘Come!’. And sure, you can train a dog to respond to such a cue. But based on Patricia’s findings, it may not be particularly natural for a dog to be inclined to approach with such a short, singular noise. Meaning you will probably have to put more work into teaching them what you are trying to communicate and building desire to do it.

Or, you could switch it up to a noise your dog will be more naturally inclined to respond to anyway because it just makes more sense to them right off the bat. Something you can repeat easily.

I like to use Pup, Pup, Pup, Pup, Pup… and the response I get tends to be way more enthusiastic.

Other options could be a whoop, whoop, whoop or even come, come, come if you’re attached to that word. Just make it easily, quickly repeatable.

There are other aspects of our communication, such as our body language, that can also help or hinder our training, but that’s a topic for another post.

What recall word do you use? And have you noticed how your dog can be more naturally inclined to respond to some words or phrases than others?