Me: Come inside Daria
Daria: Coming! Wait, why am I doing this?
Me: Because I asked you to of course.
Daria: I can outrun you. How about a game of tag instead? You're it!
Me: Daria, I am running late for work; please come inside.
Daria: This is way more fun than an exercise pen.
Me: Will you come inside for some cheese?
Daria: No.
Me: Oh, look what I found; it is your favorite toy!
Daria: What toy?
Me: The one you hid in the back yard next to the fence.
Daria: You wouldn't!
Me: I would.
Daria: Fine, you win. Give me the toy and I will come inside.
Siberian Husky Daria is usually pretty good about coming inside when I call her. This morning, however, a muse was clearly whispering in her ear. Tag is one of Daria's favorite games – a game that I have never won. I sometimes get help from Shiba Inu Loki, but unfortunately not today.
Siberian Huskies are both highly intelligent and independent and will not obey without a good reason. Sometimes that reason is a tummy rub, cheese, or their favorite toy; it really depends on your dog and how recently she have eaten. Daria is much more likely to come if I am waving her favorite toy in the air squeaking it than if she knows she is going directly to the exercise pen. If you can turn the recall into a fun game that leads to a chance at fun rewards your recalls will be much more reliable in the long run.
