Dog whistle

[anniegirl]

Hi ! has anyone used a silent dog whistle for recall?

Ella will come with our voice calling ..when she feels like....in true Cairn fashion

[bradl]

33 minutes ago, anniegirl said:

Ella will come with our voice calling ..when she feels like....in true Cairn fashion

No doubt   Love the photo.

33 minutes ago, anniegirl said:

has anyone used a silent dog whistle for recall

Yes used to train to a whistle (both silent and conventional)  for earthdog recalls (with mixed success).  

We usually started by blowing gently before putting down their dinner bowl, then added blowing when calling them to their crates for dinner.  Basically using the whistle when they were *already* on their way to you, thus guaranteeing success while pairing the sound with reward. Later adding very slight increases in difficulty (using the whistle when they were primed to come anyway), etc.

When beginning to use the whistle blind the reward was immense*.

Avoid the temptation to repeat the signal; if it doesn't work as intended (i.e., instantly) accept that it didn't work, you never used it and we shall not speak of it again  (until next time). Your neighbors will also appreciate your discipline.

We usually ended up using a regular whistle mostly because of how *we* are wired more than anything.

*Our male was being occasionally bred at that time (usually by AI) and we always half-joked that we should bring the whistle to the vet to toot just before he had an, er, encounter. Although I'm not sure the vet would have appreciated it. 

 

[Dogcoat lady]

I find the best way to teach ( preach ) recall is to have a different companion breed with exceptional recall.  That way, the terrier thinks it should respond like the recallable dog….and the recallable dog gains a sense of terrier :).

The best of both worlds….

[bradl]

That is a terrific method! Cairns hate to be second  

[Dogcoat lady]

Of course, this is not a workable solution for everyone.

[Hillscreek]

Yes the reliable recaller is a help. I've had retrievers and terriers together and the terriers, including Angus, generally followed the retrievers, especially when early training included a reward! 

The best method for me was handsignals. No chance to lose whistle and dogs are amazing attuned to the slightes movement

Edited July 28, 2022 by Hillscreek
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