Welcome, and congratulations for starting on your recall training journey! I'm so excited to have you here and to help you and your dog explore the world together.

Course Contents

If you're here, you've already figured out the online course portion of your training program. In this course, I include written out lessons, audio lessons, training plans, worksheets, video examples, and quizzes to give you the information you need to successfully train a recall. In addition, you'll get personalized support from me to help adjust and apply this knowledge to your dog and goals. You will be asked to submit training video and other assignments for feedback from me, and you can join a group of other people also working through this training plan. After you graduate, you can opt into a monthly subscription program for continuing support from me.

Components

• 4 30-minute virtual sessions
• Online course materials
• Support group of other people working through the program
• Exclusive paid access to additional training from me and ongoing support

What is in each unit?

This course is broken into 4 units. Each unit can be completed in one week, but just because it can, doesn't mean it should! Learning takes consistent practice, and every time you train, you get more information from your dog about what is working and what isn't. That's why I suggest most teams take 8 weeks to complete this program- enough time for mistakes, recalculations, and lots of learning from both you and your dog.

At the end of every unit, there will be a checklist to see if you and your dog are ready to go on to the next unit. These are not like the tests in school. You don't get any bonus points for finishing fastest! Think of these checklists as ways to ensure your training is working, and ways to know that you and your dog will be safe and successful as you progress forward. If there are any sticking points or things you're struggling with, I'm here to support you. I want you to enjoy the freedom and relationship that comes with a good recall; I made this program to help you! If it isn't doing what you want, let me know so we can find success together.

1. Unit 1 is all about laying the foundations for your own training knowledge, and setting up situations where your dog can learn that really wonderful exciting things happen when you call them. This foundational unit will lay the groundwork for the training games, reward strategies, and understanding that you use throughout the program. The goal for this unit isn't perfection, it's enthusiasm! We want both you and your dog to be loving this process, and finding success in each and every training session. If you're feeling frustrated, or your dog isn't showing enthusiasm, reach out to me right away!
2. Unit 2 is expanding your skills and your dogs skills, through very carefully selecting when you practice your recall. We'll also be helping you to make decisions about where your dog is safe to be off leash, and what kinds of distractions are going to be the most difficult for your dog to come away from, so that you are not surprised and your dog can be trusted off leash. It is always tempting to challenge our dogs at this stage, but just like we want to keep human frustration at a minimum, we also want to keep our dogs feeling like coming back is the easiest decision in the world! Their motivation now will be vital to maintaining their recall habit.
3. Unit 3 is where we start to increase the distractions for your dog. We're going to start applying what we learned in Unit 2 and see where our training is strong, and maybe where we need to do a bit more work. It is tempting in Unit 3 to give up. We're doing a lot of the same things, and there is so much work on the human to manipulate the environment and test our dogs. A single failure can feel catastrophic! But remember that you learning is front loaded. Now, we are helping our dogs to generalize, to learn that coming back when called is always going to pay off.
4. Unit 4 is expanding on what we've learned through the course, and building the lifelong human habits that will be needed to maintain a solid recall. Dogs and humans are always learning, so you may have to change, retrain, and adjust as you and your dog go forward. We will also be building your trust in your dog. It's scary to let your dog off leash, with just a recall to keep them safe. This unit will help you start to trust that your dog will return, and also assess when and where your dog is safe to go off leash.

Audio Lessons

Every lesson will have an audio version of the lesson to accompany it. This will cover the same material, but may not use the exact same words. You can be successful without ever listening to an audio lesson, or without ever reading one of the lectures. They are designed to compliment each other. As the course progresses, I hope to add additional audio lessons with guest speakers, case studies, and expertise from other trainers. If you have ideas for an audio lesson, let me know! I want to make this course as valuable as possible for you.

Program Workbook

Many of the lessons in this program have accompanying worksheets. I also include handy guides, tracking sheets, and practice notes. When you sign up for this program, you receive a bound and printed workbook. You can also download the workbook below for specific pages or a clean copy. If you have accessibility needs that are not met by this workbook, please contact me directly. This course is for everyone, and I will do my best to ensure everyone can access the materials.

About Me

I'm Sage, I'm a trainer and founder of Set the Stage Behavior and Coaching. Recall is such an important part of the relationship you have with your dog and your ability to go places and do things. It's also a real training challenge. I want to make recall training fun and successful for every dog guardian out there. Thank you for supporting my business and this mission, and for making the world a better place, one recall at a time!