Dog recall or come command

The importance of the dog recall or come command became evident to me when the family dog ran off leash towards the park. Of course we called her to come back, made all the hissy, kissy noises we could but she kept walking. "...Shy come!....Come girl....come on...now!..." My wife behind me was freaking out. " Oh my god...run after her...she's
running away! " Walking turned into jogging. Jogging turned into running! Her recall was non-existent. Sure, she was able to do the recall happily inside the house. Outside, no way. We chased her past the park, then she was headed towards the intersection. She crossed the road....and then into the intersection....we basically stopped traffic and I finally caught her, my blood boiling and heart pounding. Who's fault was it? Of course ours. We should have worked on the come or recall more especially with distractions. That's the importance of the come command.

The come command should always be a happy experience for our dogs. It's the first thing we teach in obedience classes. As owners, we should never punish our dogs when they come towards us especially if we were working on the wait or stay commands. We want our dogs to learn that coming to us is a rewarding, safe and happy thing. We get our dogs to perform the recall by treats, toys or even clapping our hands. I like to get our dog to sit in front of me and focus on me before I touch her collar and give praise. If our dogs don't learn anything else, the come command or recall could be a life saver.