In teaching the recall, you want the pup to come to you when you give the 'come' command. He should not be taught to come to his name. The name is to be used for gaining his attention. Once attention is yours then say 'come' and entice the pup to you with some food and lots of encouragement. Do whatever you need to do to get the pup focused on you and wanting to be with you. Of course, have your pup on a leash. Begin with a 6 foot length leash and progress to a longer length as he becomes proficient. When the pup reaches you, give him the food tidbit and praise him. Never chastise him when he comes in to you, no matter what effort it took to get him to you nor why you called him. The fact remains that he will associate coming to you with whatever happens to him once he reaches you. NO dog will come to a person who gives them a bad time for their efforts.
You can practice the recall while under strict control, i.e. heel work, or while not under command. When on leash but not under command, the pup is allowed to wander about within the leash limits. When you observe him at the far end of the leash, say his name and give the 'come' command. It may help to back up or even run away from him to get his desire to follow you into gear. When you see him coming, face him and wait for him, encouraging him all the while. Try this in a fenced area without a leash on a very young puppy when the follow instinct is still strong. Otherwise keep some kind of control on him so he will not learn that he can ignore you. Praise him when he reaches you. Then release him from command by giving your release word ("OK").
Teach the recall while walking the pup at heel position by backing up when giving the 'come' command. Then entice him as before. Praise him when he reaches you. Give the tidbit every so often to help gain his attention. Then say 'heel' and walk forward, making the pup move out of the way to your left and turn around to fall into step beside you. Carry on with your heel work. Do a number of surprise recalls this way.
The signal can be used during initial training. This is (usually) the right arm extended out towards the dog, then quickly bringing the hand to the upper chest area. Then returning the arm to normal position by your side. During training, the leash is held in the right hand and the arm extended in such a manner that there is no slack in the leash. When the hand is then brought to the chest, the leash is jerked towards you and that propells the dog forward towards you. All excellently timed with the command when first learning it. Later, once the command and signal has been learned, the command can be given without the signal (a new learning experience) and the signal can be given without the command (again, a new experience). Be patient. You can also teach just the verbal command first. Once that is learned, incorporate the signal for a couple of weeks. Then drop the command and the signal should be easily followed in a short time.
