Recalling dogs away from the cat outside

Recalling two dogs away from a cat outside is one of the trickier recall challenges — a chasing instinct kicks in fast, and once both dogs are locked onto the cat, you're fighting a really strong combined drive. Reliable recall is honestly the most important skill your dogs can have, and in a multi-pet household it's also a safety issue. The most effective setup is usually a long line paired with a genuinely high-value treat — something that smells irresistible enough to compete with a fleeing cat. To point you in the right direction: which dog is the bigger problem — the 5-year-old Lab, the 2-year-old Poodle, or both equally? And is the cat a permanent housemate they live with indoors, or more of a neighbour's cat they encounter outside?

That's a really common pattern — calm indoors, chaotic outside because the open space triggers prey drive even in dogs who normally coexist fine with the cat. The Lab setting the tone and the Poodle following is also typical. The good news is that because they do live peacefully together, you're not dealing with genuine predatory aggression — this is impulse control and recall reliability under distraction, which is very trainable. Before I recommend anything, one more question: have you done any recall training with either dog before, and are you working with them together or separately when you practise outside?

Separate training first is the right move — training them together right now is just doubling the distraction and the excitement. Get the Lab solid on his own before you combine them again. For the treat side, I'd go with Forthglade Natural Treats — specifically their liver bites. They're soft, smelly, and genuinely high-value enough to cut through distraction in a way that dry biscuits simply won't. Labs in particular respond strongly to liver. Pair those with a 10-metre long line on the Lab first: let him have some freedom, watch for the moment he clocks the cat and his body stiffens, then call him and reel in gently if needed — reward massively when he gets to you. You're building a reflex that coming to you when he sees the cat equals something extraordinary. Once the Lab is reliable, repeat the process with the Poodle, then practise them together. The long line keeps everyone safe while the habit is forming — don't skip it outside until recall is genuinely automatic.

Forthglade Natural Liver Treats are widely available on Amazon UK and in most pet shops — easy to get hold of. For a Labrador, go for a 10-metre long line rather than a shorter one; it gives him enough freedom that he genuinely feels off-lead and makes real choices, which is exactly what you want to train. Anything shorter and he'll feel the restriction and it loses some of its training value. Look for a biothane long line rather than rope — it doesn't tangle in wet grass, doesn't hold water, and is much easier to handle quickly when you need to shorten it. Julius-K9 and Trixie both make good ones on Amazon UK at a reasonable price. Start every outdoor session with both dogs on long lines, cat present at a distance, and keep sessions short — five minutes of focused practice beats twenty minutes of chaos every time.

That's exactly the right starting point. One last tip: use a specific recall cue — a whistle works brilliantly for Labs because it carries further than your voice and always sounds the same regardless of how stressed you are. A simple two-blast whistle recall, charged up with the liver treats in a low-distraction setting first, can become incredibly powerful very quickly. Good luck — once the Lab's recall clicks, you'll likely find the Poodle follows much faster than you expect.