Whistle while you work

Long considered to be the preserve of shepherds and gundog handlers, whistles are increasingly being recognised in the non-working dog community as great tools to help us communicate with our dogs clearly, without the inconsistencies inherent in voice commands. Whistle training can be fun and functional, so even if you only train a whistle cue for recall, it is worth considering using one as an alternative way to communicate with your dog.

WHY A WHISTLE?

Whistles were traditionally used because their sound is clear and can travel over long distances and uneven terrain. Whistle sounds are also often more easily heard in inclement weather conditions, which is why they are part of essential safety kits for mountaineers and explorers.

Whistles also make great alternatives to using our voices, as they are consistent and easy for our dogs to distinguish. Another significant factor in using whistles is that they are unlikely to make our emotional state obvious to our dogs. Think about those times when you are frustrated – your dog identifies this in your voice, particularly during a panicked recall. Using a whistle may make your feelings less obvious to your dog, making it more likely that he will want to come back to you.

Some dogs, such as Spaniels and Labradors, even appear to be naturally responsive to whistle cues, making the use of a whistle almost second nature to their handlers. But fear not; other breeds can be easily trained to transfer existing behaviours to whistle cues. This is useful if your verbal cues have become sloppy or your dog has lost responsiveness to current words and commands.

Interestingly, older dogs with some hearing loss often retain the ability to hear and respond to the pitches of whistles. This means that retraining your older friend to the whistle may help him to remain active and learn new tricks.

All these points make whistles a great option to communicate with our dogs in a range of situations.

CHOOSING A WHISTLE

There are several whistle options on the market that you can explore, from fancy engraved whistles, to ‘between the teeth’ shepherd’s whistles. Some people also opt for the referee ‘thunderer’ whistle or small metal ‘silent’ whistles that dogs can hear but might not always be discernible to humans.

However, plastic gundog whistles are a good option for ease of use. These are manufactured to be consistent in

pitch and are numbered as such. This means that if you buy one with a certain number and lose it, you can easily replace it with a new one of the same number, and the pitch will be identical. This is essential for consistency, as your dog will become familiar with both the pitch of the whistle and how you blow it. Other important features of these plastic whistles are that they are robust, cheap and easy to clean –many people even put them in the dishwasher!

WHISTLE USE

Before you head out with your whistle and dog, practise putting the whistle in your mouth, holding it between your teeth and saying a couple of words, such as your dog’s name and maybe your recall cue. This helps you to learn how to control your whistle and link whistle cues to existing verbal and behavioural cues your dog is already familiar with.

Practising this in front of your dog and dropping a treat when you pop the whistle into your mouth can help create a positive association for him, even before you ‘use’ the whistle properly.

The true sound of the whistle can worry some dogs to start with, so begin with a gentle introduction to build positive associations. Avoid blowing the whistle loudly initially and instead consider trying to train a recall whistle cue by blowing it gently at mealtimes (multiple ‘peeps’ are a common recall cue). This helps to create a favourable link between whistle, rewards and coming to you. This can

be a brilliant way to train solid and consistent whistle recalls at home before you venture outside into a more distracting environment.

Once the recall is mastered, you can start to put other behaviours onto a whistle cue. If your dog already has solid verbal cues, you can introduce a whistle cue beside your verbal cue and mark and reward appropriately. This way, you can expand your dog’s training toolbox.

Beyond recall, other common behaviours trained with whistle cues, including ‘stop’ (a long blast), ‘check-in/ turn’ (a short peep), ‘change direction’ (peep, peep), and ‘find it’ (twit twoo), but ultimately you can use any combination that works for you and your dog.

Providing you are consistent, clear and mark and reward your desired behaviour accurately, you will very quickly get your dog responsive to whistle cues. Who knows, your whistle might just become an essential part of your dog walking and training toolkit!