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Dogs · 6 min read · Updated 26 October 2026

Dog recall training: a week-by-week plan that actually works

Reliable recall isn't one big breakthrough — it's small, boring reps done in the right order. Here's the order.

MyGroom's weekly recall training plan

Most recall training fails for the same reason: it jumps straight to "call the dog back from an exciting distraction" before the easy version is solid. If your dog doesn't come back reliably from a boring garden with no distractions, they were never going to come back from a field full of other dogs. The fix is a slower build, in a fixed order, over about a week.

Quick answer
Build recall in a fixed order over a week: reward check-ins indoors, then call in the garden, add mild distractions, practise on a long line outdoors, then near other dogs, and only then try off-lead in a safe enclosed space. Reward every return early on and never call your dog to something unpleasant.

The week, day by day

Mon — Name game & check-ins (5 min)

Reward every time your dog glances at or checks in with you unprompted, indoors, no cue needed yet. You're building the habit of looking to you.

Tue — Garden recall (5–10 min)

Call from a few metres in a low-distraction space. Big reward every single time they come — no exceptions this week, even for a slow response.

Wed — Recall with mild distraction (5–10 min)

Call them away from a toy or something mildly interesting. If they don't come, you went too far too fast — go back a step, don't push through it.

Thu — Long-line recall outdoors (10 min)

Practise in an open space on a training long-line, so a missed recall is never a loose dog near a road.

Fri — Recall near other people or dogs (10 min)

Same long-line, practised at a distance from other dogs or people. This is the step most owners skip too early.

Sat — Real-world recall

Off-lead only in a safe, enclosed space — and only once they've been reliable on the line all week. Don't skip ahead to this.

Sun — Consolidate (5 min)

A short, easy session back in a familiar space, so the week ends on a win rather than a struggle.

The two rules that make it work

This is the exact structure MyGroom's Recall training plan uses in the app — a fixed weekly rhythm with the day's exercise right there, so you're never guessing what today's session should be. It also tracks progress per dog, so if you're working with more than one, they don't get mixed up.

Follow the plan in the app
Free, with progress saved per dog.
Start free

Sources and further reading

General guidance only, not veterinary advice. Speak to your vet about your own animal.

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O
Written by Oli

Horse owner in the UK and the person who built MyGroom, out of one too many last-minute rug decisions and feed-shop runs.