Using A Dog Whistle

[sheena]

I bought a high frequency adjustable dog whistle years ago & could never really work out whether I should have it screwed up towards it making the sound that I cannot hear or the opposite. I am not sure where I have put it, but have been thinking lately, I should dig it out & use it for recalling my dogs. They respond really well when I whistle a recall, but often my mouth is so dry, that I can't whistle. Anyone had any experience with these ??

ETA.... I find it very hard to blow into it & the dogs just ignore it...maybe I would be better off with a posties whistle

Edited January 4, 2013 by sheena

[FalconRange]

The whistles I've used pull out, twist to change frequency, and then push back up to lock again.

Keep testing which frequency they respond to best by pulling it out, twisting slightly and locking it back in (and blowing it, hehe!).

[piper]

Best trick I learnt to make it easier to blow was to attach a small length of aquarium tubing over the end. and hold that in your mouth and blow. It is definitely easier, you can leave the whistle kind of hanging in oyur mouth when you have the tubing and it is easy to bite down/tongue across the end to block it and then release to open up and blow again.

Don;t forget though that you will need to condition the dogs to it, they won't automatically understand what it means.

[tlc]

I use a posties whistle with my guys but only very occasionally, I take it if I know I will be somewhere that I want them to come back immediately as they all respond very well to the whistle. I have never used a dog whistle but was with someone one day who had one and they didn't bat an eye when it was whistled, not sure why?

MIne instantly know whistle means treats. :laugh:

[tlc]

The whistles I've used pull out, twist to change frequency, and then push back up to lock again.

Keep testing which frequency they respond to best by pulling it out, twisting slightly and locking it back in (and blowing it, hehe!).

Maybe thats why mine didn't bat an eye, it wasnt a frequency they responded too!

[FalconRange]

By 'responding', you're simply looking for the dog to make a reaction to you blowing the whistle - looking up, turning their head etc.

Once you have a response, then you have to start the conditioning process; praising them for responding by treat or toy, and in the early stages, every single time they respond. You can start to teach them to come at the whistle this way.

[sheena]

So if I didn't want to completely reteach their whistle recall, I would probably be better off with a simple posties whistle..then I could more imitate the whistle I give them now. Apart from my mouth going dry, just when I want to whistle them back, the cicadas are so deafening at the moment, I doubt whether the dogs would be able to hear me whistle :laugh: Wish I could whistle with my fingers in my mouth, like some people do :)

[tlc]

I can't do the fingers int he mouth either, it wold be so handy! I am a hopeless whistler, thats one of the reasons I got the whistle. All I did to condition my guys was hubby with food in one room and a whistle and me with food in another room and a whistle. We did a back and forth about 10 times, they had it down pat. :laugh: Put it in to practice out and about and bam instant recall. However I don't use it all the time manily only if I go places where they can go out of sight and I want them back in a hurry.