In this instructional YouTube short, trainer AJ Vargas walks handlers through a step‑by‑step protocol for rebuilding or establishing reliable recalls with patrol dogs. He begins by emphasizing two foundational requirements: the handler must be able to keep the dog calm and under control, and the dog must have clear expectations from the start. Vargas then describes his decoy setup—initially stationary and visually “giving up” halfway between the decoy and handler—to reduce distraction and gradually introduce movement as the dog improves. He outlines high‑value reward options, including a hidden sleeve and a person who can pop out to entice the return. The core of the lesson focuses on long‑line management: keeping the line clear of the dog’s legs, using the line to gently turn the dog rather than stopping it against a wall, and rewarding the turn with a calm voice and treat. A flat collar (never a prong or choke) is recommended, with light taps on the line to refocus the dog when needed. Vargas stresses that all three elements—handler control, decoy behavior, and line handling—must work together. He concludes by suggesting progressive additions such as controlled bites, while always removing any added element before moving on, and encourages handlers to vary their routines, stay creative, and keep the dog’s mind clear.
Chapters
Hey everybody, welcome to this week's short. Today we're working on recalls. I just want to inspire you to build that relationship between breaking the dog's concentration with the decoy and getting the dog to return. And I can tell you through experience, it's not going to happen if, one, if you can't control the dog at the handler and the dog sits calmly there, it won't happen. Two, if you haven't built the expectation right from the beginning. This is the initial phases to that, so I just wanted to touch bases with you just in case you had to drop back in training or you're starting a new dog on recall. Obviously there's a lot of ways to handle this, and every dog is a little bit different. But my setup, let me first talk about that. I have a decoy out in the suit, and I have a decoy that has been trained and understands the philosophies behind how we're going to implement this. First and foremost, I'm going to take away the movement from the decoy as much as possible to start. Because that's going to help the handler down here on the other end of the range. Okay, as they progress, I'll add more movement into the decoy. The other facet to the decoy is him visually giving up, because we also want the dog to see that. Again, that's going to help us as we move through this process. I begin to adjust that as we move on. As an example, he's given up when the dog gets about halfway between the decoy and the handler, he's going to give up. On top of that, the movement is not as prevalent right now, and we have a long line on the dog. I'm controlling the long line, and I'll talk about that in just a minute, and then my handler's set up with the leash so that he can control the dog, and he has a high-value reward. On the other end. This just happens to be a hidden sleeve that he's using to reward the dog when the dog gets back. I'll find some dogs don't want the toy. I'll find some dogs don't want a sleeve, so I may even put somebody behind the handler to pop out once the dog starts to return to entice the dog to get back to the handler. Again, I'm building expectations right now. This is by no means a finished dog or a dog that is, uh, is already completed or understands how to recall appropriately. I've also built, before we even got to this point, I've built control with the handler around the decoy. I've implemented principles of communication between the dog and the handler and built that bond so the dog understands what's expected and the handler knows how to correct those or reward appropriately with the behaviors we want in this scenario. Now the last thing I'm going to talk about is the long line and the importance of how we control that and how we utilize that. First thing is safety. I make sure that that line is never under the dog's legs. Even when the dog takes off, if it ever gets caught under the dog's legs, I do not correct the dog or turn the dog at all. The second thing is, is the turn. I don't put a hammer on the dog, meaning I don't put a wall in front of the dog with the long line. I absorb the dog turning and I turn the dog with the leash initially to teach the dog how to turn versus hitting a brick wall than I've seen some people do. And that proverbial brick wall, when that dog gets to the end of the leash, the dog flips or other things. We just don't do that because we want the dog to process the recall and teach the dog how to turn to come back to the handler. Once the dog is turned with the leash, then the handler changes his tone of voice and rewards the dog for coming back with a high-value reward. Now, you saw just a minute ago, we're about 4 sessions into this. The dog already started to slow down and was beginning to process a little bit asked to, uh, to come back and respond. At that point, then I can give a light tap on the line or give a correction on the line on a flat collar. That's the other thing I failed to mention, was we need a flat collar on the dog, not a prong, not a choke, or any of that. And I give a light tap on the line just to change the dog's thinking and get them to get their focus back on the handler. I put all this stuff together Again, it takes all 3 elements to work together in order to accomplish this. I'll run a few sets with this. I'll begin to sprinkle in some bites in the middle of this and begin to build reliability with it. Everything I add to this session, I take away. So that's my short set for the week. Remember, train like you mean it. Set up training to be successful, and also think a little bit outside the box when you're setting up your training. Don't get into a routine every single week with what you're doing. Break things up, challenge yourself. And again, with a green dog or a dog that we need to rebuild a recall, we want to keep the dog clear-minded and focused, and we want to be clear on what the expectations are in every situation. Have a good week. Aah!
