Do you see the need to improve your Dalmation’s response to recall? Check out these tips on how to train your dog to be more responsive when you call its name.

1. If you are in need of a nifty trick to break the monotony of calling a dog to your side, try to get it to come to you using one of those laser-beam ballpens. Just turn the device on, point the light to the ground, then watch the dog go zoom off to investigate the bright light! This training can prove very valuable if you want the dog to take a quick pee outside in winter.

2. Another obvious thing to learn here is that shouting is a no-no in dalmation training, especially if the students are of puppy age.

3. Is the Dalmation into ball games? Then get another companion to stay a good distance away from you, with the dog in the middle. This can be like a modified fetch, with each person taking turns calling the dog and rewarding it for returning the ball.

4. What do we mean in dalmation training to making things unpredictable? The idea here is that the signs that the dog has come to associate with the end of good times need to be mixed up, so that the dog will keep coming to you, no matter what.

For example, you want the dog to get over the excitement of seeing you coming to it with a leash, which results to its running away from you. The solution? Put the lead on the dog many times, and take it off immediately many times too. Doing this often while outdoors makes the dog used to the sight of you holding a leash.

Another area where unpredictable owner behavior helps a lot is dog walks. Instead of following the average path of a straight line from point A to point B, why not go zigzagging all over the street, crossing here and there, and walking suddenly in opposite directions. The walk needs to go at slightly faster paces. The net effect of all this is that the dog gives up that arm-dislocating desire to pull and run away, and instead will want to stay by your side.

5. Lastly, try to elicit the help of a friend who happens to have a very obedient dog. Call the other dog and offer it a reward when it comes, but ignore your Dalmation first if it comes too. Then run away, calling your own dog, then give it a reward, and then go away again. The result of this is that the dog will want to keep an eye on you, waiting for you to call it and give it a reward.