If you’ve ever found yourself breathlessly chasing your dog around the yard, calling their name while they gleefully ignore you, you’re not alone. There’s something both hilarious and exasperating about that moment when your dog decides “come here” is just a suggestion—and you’re left wondering who’s really in charge.
Dog trainer Joel Beckman’s recent video, “What to do When Your Dog Runs Away and Doesn’t Take You Seriously,” captures this all-too-familiar struggle. In the clip, Joel demonstrates what happens when a dog turns recall into a game, and how owners can shift the dynamic from chaos to control. The scenario is instantly relatable: a dog dashing around, tail wagging, while the human’s patience is tested to its limits. But what makes this session stand out is Joel’s focus on body language and the subtle cues that can turn the tables—showing that sometimes, it’s not about how loud you call, but how you carry yourself.
Viewers couldn’t help but see themselves in the video—and the comments section became a mix of laughter, empathy, and “aha!” moments. One person joked, “I died laughing at how care free the dog is & how serious the man is,” while another admitted, “You guys have no idea how annoying, frustrating, stressful this situation can be.” Many shared their own stories of being outsmarted by their pups, with one commenter confessing, “My dog used to love to steal my work glove and I would chase him to get it. He loved…LOVED running away.” But the emotional core of the responses was clear: behind the frustration is a deep desire to keep our dogs safe, and to feel confident in those crucial moments when it really matters. As one viewer put it, “This is a safety issue. Not just an annoying embarrassing issue. In my opinion.”
What’s striking is how much hope and humor people found in Joel’s approach. From tales of using Welsh commands to the “Terminator” walk (shoulders squared, no shortcuts), the community rallied around the idea that with the right mindset—and a little practice—anyone can turn a game of chase into a moment of connection and trust.
At the end of the day, every dog owner has faced that heart-pounding moment when their best friend bolts. But as this video shows, sometimes the answer isn’t to run faster or yell louder—it’s to change the game entirely. And maybe, just maybe, to laugh a little along the way.