|
From time to time, we are approached by customers
who are a little confused about the value and
purpose of a gundog whistle. Quite often, they will
have been advised that a whistle will help them to
train their dog.
Just recently, a dog owner who was considering
ordering a whistle, contacted us to enquire whether
or not she could return her whistle if her dog did
not respond to it. And every now and then, a
customer will return a whistle to us, because it
‘does not work’. By this, they do not mean that the
whistle made no sound, but rather that the dog did
not come back when they blew it.
Experienced dog owners may be surprised, but there
are plenty of dog owners out there, who have high
expectations of a dog whistle, and are deeply
disappointed to discover that the whistle itself has
no special powers when it comes to training a dog.
It is possible that these misconceptions came about
because people tend to associate highly trained and
specialised dogs like gundogs, or sheepdogs, with
whistle control.
What a whistle cannot do for your dog
When you buy a whistle, you need to be aware that a
whistle has no ‘intrinsic’ meaning for a dog.
Your dog is likely to be interested in a
whistle because it is a distinct and unusual sound,
compared with the constant background noise of
everyday conversation and other normal human
noises. Because the whistle is 'distinctive' the
dog may approach you to investigate when you blow
it, but don’t be fooled by this. This effect is
completely temporary. The dog will soon lose
interest in the whistle unless he begins to
associate the sound of it, with something that he
values.
Whistles do not train dogs, people do.
Do you need to buy a whistle to train a companion
dog?
Strictly speaking,
you do not need a whistle.
A pet dog can be trained to the highest standard
without one. However, you may find a whistle very
useful outdoors, and you may find you feel a lot
more dignified blowing a whistle than bellowing at
the top of your voice when you dog is a long way
off.
Why do we use whistles for gundog training?
We use a whistle for gundog training rather than
human voice, for three main reasons.
It is easier to hear
The first reason we use a whistle for gundogs is
because these dogs have to work at a distance from
the handler, outdoors and in all weather
conditions. The human voice simply does not carry
as effectively as a whistle, especially on a windy
day.
It is unambiguous
The second reason a whistle is used for advanced dog
training is because the whistle makes a very clear
and unambiguous signal. The human voice is
infinitely variable and this is a disadvantage when
we are training animals. Each command a dog learns,
is learned most effectively when paired with a
crystal clear and never changing cue. A good
quality whistle will not alter in pitch when you are
angry or tired, or when you have a sore throat. It
is totally reliable and consistent.
It is less disturbing to game
The purpose of a gundog is to collect food for the
table. More specifically, food that has been shot
by his handler. The human voice is very disturbing
to game, a whistle far less so. If a ‘hunter’ is
not to go home empty handed, it is important that
gundog work is carried out with the minimum of
disturbance in the countryside.
What are the limitations of the whistle?
Sometimes we want to work a dog in almost complete
silence, in these cases a hand signal, or whispered
voice command may be more appropriate. The same
applies when a dog is at very close quarters. And
unlike your voice, whistles can get lost, or
forgotten. In practice, most gundog handlers teach
voice commands first then add whistles and hand
signals in a bit later as training progresses.
Some gundog handlers find it awkward to shoot and
use a whistle at the same time. This is only a
factor when working a young hunting dog, where the
whistle is normally kept in the mouth whilst the dog
is hunting and flushing game.
What is special about a ‘gundog’ whistle
The acme gundog whistles that we sell on our website
are robust with a very consistent sound. They come
in different ‘pitches’ to suit the preference of the
owner. If you lose one, you can buy another with
exactly the same sound. Our most popular
whistle is the
Acme 211
You can buy staghorn gundog whistles from gunshops
and pet shops. These come in various shapes and
sizes and can look very attractive, but when you
lose one, you may struggle to find another with the
same pitch. This is why almost all gundog handlers
use acme gundog whistles like the ones that we sell
on this website.
How do I train my dog to a whistle?
There is nothing different or special about teaching
your dog to respond to a whistle. It is done in
just the same way as teaching the dog to respond to
a voice command. You will need to pair the whistle
with the behaviour you want to see in your dog, and
reward the dog when it completes the required
action. This process takes time.
You can find detailed instructions on training your
dog in the Gundog Club
training guides available in our bookshop.
What are the standard gundog whistle commands?
Sometimes people are unsure how to blow the whistle
for best effect. In principle it does not matter
which type of whistle signal you use as long as it
is always the same. In practice there are some
standard ways of using the whistle in ‘gundog
circles’ that you might find helpful to begin with
The recall signal
This is usually string of ‘pips’ on the whistle. I
use five: pip-pip-pip-pip-pip. Some trainers use
three or four pips, which is fine for retrievers.
But as I work spaniels, I like a really strong
distinction between recall and turn whistles
TIP: blow the recall signal softly whilst your
little puppy is eating his dinner, he will associate
it with a great reward right from the start.
The stop signal
Usually a single strong blast on the whistle.
‘peeeeeeeeeeep’
TIP: teach your dog to stop to a soft-shortish
peeep to begin with and save the really strong
blast for emphasis when he is a long way off
The turn signal
Hunting dogs are taught to turn on two pips of the
whistle ‘pip-pip’
If you are still unsure how the
whistle should sound, or how to blow yours
effectively, you can
arrange a 121 session with one of our
instructors who will demonstrate for you and go over
the basics to get you off on the right foot with
your whistle training
Switching from voice to whistle
If your dog is already trained to a known voice
command you can switch quite quickly to whistle by
giving the whistle command followed by the voice
command over a period of a few days, then gradually
fading out the voice command.
Purchasing a whistle
Acme gundog whistles can be
purchased from the
gundog Club shop, with or without lanyards.
Discount is available for multiple purchases. For
standard purchases click here. For special
discounts on larger orders please telephone 01428
717529
This article was written by Pippa
Mattinson and may not be copied or reproduced in any
form without written permission. |
