We are wanting to work on increasing the amount of time your puppy is enthusiastically is engaging with you after you ask for attention or are recalling them, regardless of whether they're on a short lead, long lead, or off-lead.

We start with 5 seconds of engagement before releasing them, then 10, then 20, then 30 seconds of engagement etc. We don't want our dogs to stare at us and miss out on observing and exploring the world, so we need to pair a good release cue (e.g., okay, go play, go sniff etc.) with our recall engagement for a good balance.

Do know that taking food quickly or picking up a toy with barely a glance and running off again is a pretty normal thing for a puppy to do. This happens when the majority of their engagement with the person calling them is brief, but is even more likely to occur when there are lots of interesting things to sniff/explore/investigate in the environment.

As such, we want to increase the duration of the engagement we are getting, and make the time we are engaging with them worth their while.

After releasing them to do their own thing again, we know we're doing well when we see them check back in with us using eye contact and/or proximity as if asking - are you sure we're done? You can use food, toys, and a combo of both to achieve this.

Key Tips

1. Release Them BEFORE They're Done: This one is really important - rather than getting bored of what we are doing with them, we want to end it and release them while the getting is good. We want to practice this far more than recalling them to go back on the lead. We don't want them to get "over it". Instead, we give them their release cue (e.g., okay, go sniff), and start moving. If they are at our heels straight away, I repeat the release and make a sweeping gesture (think of it like 'off you go!') and move along. We don't want to be staring at our dogs here, as this can indicate to them that we are engaging with them and keep them focused on us at a time where we are actually wanting them to go off for a bit.
   
   

2. Body Language is IMPORTANT! Getting lower, spreading your arms out, wiggling a bit (I know it can look silly but I swear it works!) and moving backwards are all really inviting body language signals that can increase the likelihood of engagement and recall occurring in a happy and motivated way. These can be like doggy-magnets! I tend to repeat this fact because it’s really helpful, and worth remembering.
   
   

3. Have FUN with Recall: The more fun your puppy is having, the better. Play is not only rewarding, it increases memory consolidation, i.e., the experience will better ‘stick’ in their memory. For puppies who want food over toys, you can ‘make it fun’ by rewarding them by tossing a treat in the air or in the grass, and repeat this a few times to get them moving and engaged before moving on. If your puppy is losing interest, try a different and more motivating reward or take a break and try again later.
   
   

4. Building Expectation: When your puppy responds to their attention or recall cue, instead of giving them a treat or tug toy straight away, delay the reward. Still mark the exact moment - Yes! - they've returned to you, but this time you can slowly bring out the reward while saying "are you reeeaaaaddyy??". I wriggle side to side when I do this! You can increase their engagement with the reward by slowly moving it side to side before saying "get it!" and allowing them to have the reward.
   
   

5. Change Up Delivery: Instead of just putting a treat in their mouth or dropping it by their nose, you can make the treat delivery more exciting by getting them to chase and find it! I show them the treat, move it in the direction that I will be tossing it, say "find it!" then toss it that way. We can make this game more fun by following the next step.
   
   

6. Increasing Rewards to Increase Duration: We want our dogs to double check with us before heading off again. To do this, I vary the amount of rewards I give. Instead of a one-and-done situation, we can vary the number of rewards we give before releasing them. After they've eaten a treat or released a tug, if they look back at me I'll mark them again for eye contact, show them the treat/tug, and tell them to find it while tossing it in the opposite direction. We are marking and rewarding the eye contact they offer, with them running past us to get the reward. If they don't check in with me after they've gotten their reward, as soon as they've finished acquiring it, I can help them out by asking "are you ready?" to check if they're up for more engagement
   
   

7. Mix Up Cues You're Asking For: Is it a hand target? In the air or low to the ground? Are they positioning themselves between my legs? Are they offering a down? A spin? Catching something? Sitting between my legs? Do cues with your puppy that they enjoy, keeping them interested in what you're doing and keeping the rewards worth it!