Day 1 - training a better recall

I am trying to condition both Indigo and Epic to recall to me when someone is holding a chuck-it. Yesterday I learned that Epic is really dedicated to the chuck-it and it is way more rewarding than any food reward or even a moving ball without a chuck-it. Indigo was a little bit easier because she thinks she is starving.

I tried using the premack principle using treats while Ben held a chuck-it. The chuck-it was completely still. Every time they looked at me, I clicked and treated. And would would release them to go stare at the chuck-it again.

Indigo got to the point of ignoring the chuck-it and staring at me. Epic on the other hand stared at the chuck-it for a long time with no throws at all. When he looked back at me, I clicked and tried to give him a treat, but he wasnt interested at all. Finally after 10 minutes of no reward from the chuck-it he would come to me to play with a tennis ball.

After talking to some people and getting some suggestions I am going to start working on their recall with a second chuck-it. I also might try the "give me a break game" from Control Unleashed.