Kirsten Mortensen is the coauthor of Outwitting Dogs (page xxx). Her essay, "I Learned It from My Dog," is the lead essay in the Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series book, Weight Loss. She lives in Rochester, New York.

Sample Tips for the chapter on Coming When Called (Recall)

Tip: Make attention the foundation of recall.
If your dog is going to come when called, she has to notice you've called. She has to be paying attention to you. So one foundation for training a recall is to teach your dog to pay attention to you-to "check in" with you regularly and often, and to notice when you ask her for attention.
Fortunately, this is a simple behavior to practice. Just reward your dog for paying attention to you. Suppose you have a puppy, and she's been playing with a toy, but suddenly drops it and comes over to say "hi." Give her a treat or a nice scratch behind the ears.
Reward your dog for "checking in" with you in the back yard, or for looking for you when you've been out of sight for awhile.
Another good idea is to reward your dog for responding to her name. Say her name before you put down her supper dish, or hand her a new toy. Toss her treats if you say her name and she looks at you.

Tip: Start training recall indoors.
One of the things that makes recalls challenging is that we expect it to work outside. And outside is a "high-distraction" environment.
Have you ever been reading, or watching television, and someone has said something to you-but you didn't hear? Or maybe you realized they spoke, but didn't understand what was said?
When we pay attention to one thing, we often "block out" everything else. Dogs do this, too. And when a dog is outside, he's got a lot to pay attention to! For this reason, it's best to begin training recalls in a space that has few distractions - like your kitchen, or living room, or even a bathroom.

Tip: Always Use Dinnertime as Recall Practice
Want a great way to get in some recall practice?
Call your dog at dinner time. Every time. Do this even if he's standing on your toes while you're filling his dish. Say his name and your recall word (such as "come") and then set his dish down. Voila: instant recall practice!

Tip: Make the reward for coming wonderful.
Along with distractions, another reason recalls are so hard to train is that running around outside is tremendously rewarding to your dog. Depending on where you are, your dog may be playing with other dogs. Or smelling interesting smells. Or just stretching her legs after a dull day indoors. The things a "loose dog" finds to do can be really, really fun.
You need to make it even more rewarding for your dog to come to you.
How do you do this? It depends on your dog. Since food is almost universally rewarding to dogs, many trainers suggest using food treats. However, make sure you pick the right treat. When you're competing against other rewards, it's best to use a "high value" treat-something really special. Examples include a bit of cheese, a chunk of hotdog, or a liver treat. You want to teach your dog that next time she has a choice to make, it's best to choose you-because you are more rewarding than playing with other dogs or smelling interesting smells.
Play is sometimes a great reward, also. Does your dog like to chase balls? Offer a game of fetch as a reward for coming when called.

Tip: Always use your "happy voice" for recalls!
Okay, be perfectly honest. How do you like being called by someone? Do you like them to sound happy, or stressed?
When we use an angry, frustrated, or stressed-out voice to call our dogs, we aren't making the recall as rewarding as we should!
Use a "happy" tone of voice to communicate that coming to you is fun!