Is MK9Plus a dog training course?

No. Training is included and taught properly, but it is the smallest part of the fix. MK9Plus is about understanding why your dog behaves the way they do and building a life where the problems stop being created.

Can MK9Plus help with barking, resource guarding, separation issues and reactivity?

Yes. Rather than only stopping the behaviour, MK9Plus resolves what is causing it — so the behaviour stops and new issues don't replace it. The platform includes dedicated advanced behaviour support for reactivity, separation anxiety, sound sensitivity and resource guarding.

Is it too late for an older or rescue dog?

No. Dogs remain products of the lives they are living at any age. Founder Max Randall's own rescue dog Enzo was three years old, straight off the streets, and now recalls off deer.

Is Max Randall qualified?

Yes. Max Randall is qualified with the Institute of Modern Dog Training (IMDT) and accredited by OCN, a regulated awarding body overseen by Ofqual. MK9Plus also offers a free trial and money-back guarantee so members can verify the approach themselves.

How much does MK9Plus cost?

MK9Plus offers a 7-day free trial and a money-back guarantee on all memberships. Current pricing is shown on the membership page at mk9plus.com.

Mental Enrichment and Recall: Why Kongs Don't Fix It | MK9Plus

Free guide · Recall

The power of mental enrichment
in recall training

The short answer

Kongs, lick mats and puzzle feeders keep a dog busy and calm them down. They don't work the dog's brain hard, so they don't fulfil them, and they don't fix recall. A dog who comes back is a dog who isn't desperate for the park. Real enrichment is their breed's job, done hard, every day. That's what changes the dog that runs off.

By Max Randall · IMDT Qualified · OCN Accredited · 1,000+ dogs helped

The Kong isn't doing what you think

Most people believe a Kong, a lick mat or a puzzle feeder counts as mental stimulation. They have their place: they calm a dog, they occupy a dog, and they're great for a wind-down. But they aren't hard. Nothing about licking peanut butter out of a rubber cone works a dog's brain. If you've been using these as your dog's enrichment, that's why the behaviour hasn't changed.

Occupying versus fulfilling

Doing maths and watching a film both count as "using your brain." Only one of them leaves you tired. Dogs are the same. A lick mat is the film. A scent search for their dinner is the maths. Snuffle mats don't fulfil your dog.

What this has to do with recall

Recall is one word against the whole outside world. The dog who won't come back isn't being stubborn. They're desperate. If their day doesn't give them what they need, they're not sleeping enough and they're grabbing every opportunity outside at 110 percent: every smell, every dog, every bird. Your word can't compete with that.

Dogs aren't born hyper. A dog who's switched on all day is a dog who isn't getting what they need. Give them real enrichment, their breed's outlet done properly, and something shifts. They're less obsessed with smells, less desperate for other dogs, less frantic on the walk. A dog like that doesn't need constant recalling, because they're not constantly running off. And when you do call, they can hear you.

"Our dogs are results of the life they live every day."

What real enrichment looks like

Their breed's job. A retriever searching and carrying. A terrier grabbing and shaking. A collie stalking and working. Not a generic "enrichment activity," the specific thing they were built for.
Scent work. Searching is the most mentally exhausting thing a dog can do, and it never gets easier for them. Hide their food. Teach them to find one thing, then another.
Hard first, calm after. Do the job, then the Kong, then sleep. Used that way round, the Kong is perfect.

It's when the dog is getting what they need, instead of just being put through training, that the training starts to work. The recall drills you've been doing weren't wrong. They were being done on a dog who couldn't use them.

The recall roadmap starts here, not with the word

Inside MK9Plus, the Enrichment Series, Scent Games and Give Your Dog a Job come before the Recall Series, because a dog who isn't desperate is the only dog you can teach to come back.

Build your free roadmap →

3-month money-back guarantee · Rated Excellent on Trustpilot

Fair questions about enrichment and recall

The ones owners actually ask me, answered straight.

Are Kongs and lick mats bad?

No. They're brilliant for calming a dog down at the end of a session or on a day you need them settled. They just aren't enrichment. They occupy a dog; they don't fulfil one. Use them for the wind-down, not the job.

What's the single best enrichment for recall?

Scent work. Searching is the most mentally tiring thing a dog can do and it uses the part of the hunt every dog has. A dog who searches for their meals is a dog who's a lot less desperate for the park, and that's what recall is built on.

How long should enrichment take each day?

Twenty minutes of the right thing is plenty for most dogs. It's the type that matters, not the length. A hard, breed-specific job followed by a proper wind-down beats an hour of busywork.

Will this fix recall on its own?

It fixes the reason recall fails, which is most of the job. You'll still teach the word and prove it around distractions, but you'll be teaching a dog who can listen. That's the difference between drills that stick and drills you repeat for years.

Don't de-dog your dog

It's not about training. It's about the life.

The Whole Dog Approach builds a day that gives your dog what they need, so the desperation goes and the recall has a chance. That's what every recall roadmap inside MK9Plus starts with.

Build your free roadmap →

Rated Excellent on Trustpilot · IMDT qualified · OCN accredited

Written by Max Randall, IMDT-qualified and OCN-accredited dog trainer · More free dog training guides · The philosophy: Don't De-Dog Your Dog · FAQ