# Silent dog whistle recommendations?



## Snoopy11 (Jan 20, 2012)

I think I'm going to add a whistle as a recall cue for Snoopy. I figure it'll be easier to get his attention with it outside, and I won't have to shout to be heard over wind or distance. And I also read a good point in another thread about using a whistle - the whistle won't give away any annoyance or anger which would be apparent in a verbal cue. Our recall with outdoor distractions is a work in progress, and I admit I can get frustrated with him when it takes multiple calls because he's engrossed in sniffing something, which I'm sure doesn't help matters.

I'm thinking a "silent" dog whistle is what I want. I realize they're not truly silent, but quieter than the typical whistle. As long as the dog can hear it, it's fine by me, and as a bonus I won't annoy the neighbors with a loud whistle. I could also probably practice training with it in the house without disturbing someone else who is sleeping.

So does anyone with whistle training experience have a recommendation on which brands and models are good? I'm sure any whistle would serve my purpose, I'm just looking for tips on which ones are durable and hold up to years of use, which attach nicely to a lanyard and don't fall off, which are easy to adjust, etc. I started reading reviews on some whistles on Amazon and quickly discovered that they all have low ratings... due to the sheer number of people who buy them expecting instant results without any training.

So many reviewers seemed to expect the whistle to (magically) stop a dog's barking, or cause it to perform some behavior straight out of the box. And when it didn't, they rated it 1 star. Ugh. Rating systems are useless in this case.

Training tips also welcome. I plan to just associate the whistle with getting treats or food for awhile, then pair it with his current "come" cue for awhile followed by a treat, before trying it on its own as a recall. Is there any benefit to training a recall using a certain number of whistle blasts vs. just a single blast to mean come? Right now I'm not sure I'd want to train any other cues using the whistle, but possibly a "stay," if it wouldn't confuse him or weaken the recall. Maybe I'll just stick with the whistle = come and use other verbal cues for stop & stay if needed. I'm a newbie at training and should probably keep this simple.


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## jiml (Jun 19, 2008)

no recommendations other than possibly checking places like http://www.gundogsupply.com/ for recommendations.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

Even though I have never specifically trained my dogs to come to a whistle (just with my mouth), they all seem to come faster and quicker when I whistle than when I have to holler for them. I really think it is because there is no difference in the sound of the whistle while there is when you have to yell for them and they make think you are mad when you may not be.


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