Dog whistle training is largely misunderstood. Would you believe there are some people who believe dogs are inherently able to understand that a whistle means to come back? Many of us have seen the fine work performed by sheepdog handlers and the exceptional level of whistle control they have with their dogs. In this guide K9 Magazine’s Ryan O’Meara examines how to teach your dog to recall on the whistle.

I started to train my first dog from the moment he came home with me. It was fun. It was, if I’m totally honest, pretty easy, too. He was a Labrador and his eagerness to learn and please me made training him fun, enjoyable and almost without exception, flawlessly simple. Then he grew up. Things began to change. Luckily for me, I discovered the most important dog training tool I’ve ever used. I swore by it then, I still do now. I’ll gladly tell you what it is.Jackson was my first dog.

A handsome yellow Labrador.

As a puppy, I taught him to do lots of things. Sit, stay, come back, walk to heel, lie down, bark on command, give a paw – all, so much fun, so easy to accomplish.

Then, almost overnight, he started acting like a teenager.

Probably because he was one!

More worryingly, I had moved him on to a point where I actually wanted to compete with him in working tests and trials.

He had everything in his locker; he was fast, strong, intelligent, REALLY intelligent and he loved to work.

But his recall was – at best 50/50.

If I’m totally honest, he’d only ever recall if the level of distraction and temptations around him were minimal.

Fortunately for me, I was learning the art of whistle training.

Fortunately for me, every dog I’ve ever trained since – regardless of breed, regardless of discipline, regardless of exactly what level the dog was at – have ALL been trained using a whistle.

It’s only now, at a point where I know more of the theory of canine learning that I appreciate just how and why whistle training is so incredibly potent.

The whistle, you see, is constant, consistent, emotionless and incredibly easy to operate – you don’t even need to charge it up, follow an instruction manual or get a new one every other month.

They cost less than a tenner, yet I still have the same whistle I used 10 years ago and which has been utilised to train hundreds of dogs.

I won’t go in to the technicalities of how to teach whistle training right now (that’s something for later!) but I will happily explain some of the principles that make the whistle so incredibly valuable:

Dog Whistle Training: Why It Works

1) A whistle can be used by ANYONE! Now I know that seems obvious, but think about it. Most family dogs have many different voices in their ears, day in day out. A whistle sounds the same whoever is blowing it. Whether it’s a child or the dog’s owner, the dog trained to recall to a whistle will do so regardless of who is blowing it. Although there ARE ways in which you can make your whistle recall unique to you.

2) A whistle lacks emotion. Ever tried to recall your dog when your in a panic? Or a hurry? Or even when you’re a bit angry? Think your dog can’t tell? Think again! A whistle lacks emotion and it is consistent – something which is absolutely crucial to successful dog commands.

3) The sound of a whistle carries a long way, not everyone’s voice does. Besides, nobody wants to be the person at the park who’s bellowing at their dog to come back. A whistle is a sharp, sophisticated way to communicate with a dog outdoors.

4) Dogs love the whistle. If trained properly, the sound of whistle can be as exciting to a dog as the sound of the biscuit tin being opened (yes, THAT exciting!). Believe me, my dogs go absolutely mad for the sound of the whistle and there is nothing – absolutely nothing – in the world that prevents them recalling when I blow that whistle. Don’t believe me?

Using a whistle you can:

Have a bullet proof, 100% recall
Ensure your dog is safe, off the lead in public
Impress all of your dog-owning friends with a dog that comes back, first time EVERY time!
Teach your dog to stop and stay at a distance
Achieve almost ‘sheepdog handler’ like control of your dog, regardless of breed
Have a simple, easy to follow dog training system that you can apply to ALL of your dogs, now and in the future

But before we move on to achieving ‘Total Recall’, you need to make sure you are properly equipped.

Here is the ONLY whistle I recommend. The Acme 2.10 & 1/2 whistle.

Note: I do not recommend a silent whistle, I don’t ask people to make do with a slightly different model, I don’t advise people get any old whistle – No. I recommend ONLY the Acme 2.10 & 1/2 (Acme two ten and a half) whistle.

NOTHING ELSE.

That model and that model only.

I’m not saying other whistles might not work, but believe me – I’ve used plenty.

I’ve used a horn whistle, a thunderer whistle, an Acme 2.11 whistle and always, always, always I revert back to the Acme 2.10 & 1/2 for the most successful results.

Should you buy one?

Well, at less than £8.00 for the BEST piece of dog training equipment in the entire world that will last for years and can be used on ANY dog, now or in the future, doesn’t need batteries and won’t ever run out?

I’d say that was coming close to bargain of the century! Wouldn’t you?

How to Teach Your Dog To Come Back Using a Whistle

I’ll keep this short, simple and to the point – because this really doesn’t need to be over complicated.

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