It worked YES I watched Its me or the dog last week and Victoria showed a lady how to recall her dalmation with a whistle I have been practising this with Milo and tonight for the first time I took him to the park to try it out with some hot dogs and it worked YES.
I know it is probably common sense but I am really excited I think I will try it a few more times at the park before we try the beach but he did come back imediately instead of when he is ready like he normally does.  Cindyloo on the other hand would not leave my side as she knew all about the hot dogs and when I crouched to give Milo cuddles and tell him what a good boy he is she tried to get in my pocket with hotdogs:rolleyes:

Well done, I wouldn't be without my whistle, they do get a dogs attention immediately, I have always whistle trained.

Great when it works isn't it!! :-D

It's easy when you know how but sometimes you just need it pointing out to you :rolleyes:.  Now I won't come back from a walk with a sore throat

I was also thinking of trying the recall with a whistle, but we have a playing field next to our house where football matches take place.  I have visions of the referee blowing his whistle and the dogs all leaping over the fence to get to him .....

Would using a 'normal' whistle be a problem with this in mind, or would I be better off getting a gundog whistle?

Louise

A gundog whistle sounds quite different to a referrees whistle so the dog is unlikely to get confused with a gundog whistle. I find them much kinder on the ears too!

I use a gundog whistle - works brilliantly.  Mainly I started using the whistle when my dogs were going through their teenage phase, and ignoring me when out, but with the whistle they would just come every time!

I use a gundog whistle with my own special blow & use the same tone/length of blow every time. That way the dog shouldn't get confused if he hears someone else using one.

I trained mine to a whistle as my OH struggles with recall commands that are both audible and welcoming.

Oh it all went horribly wrong we went to the beach tonight and he just ignored me completley I know this is my problem is it too much too soon?  do we need to work up to the beach. oh it was a disaster he was barking at any other dogs and joggers like the hound of the baskervilles would return to the whistle as and when he felt the need and when he was put on his lead he tried to dislocate my arm i grabbed his mussle to try and stop him yelping and I must of hurt him as he started yelping and screaming blue murder at which point I burst in to tears.  Any advice please what did I do wrong?
:rolleyes:

I'm sure I must have misunderstood your post and I'm teaching you to suck eggs, but you realise a dog needs to be trained in what a whistle means before you use it 'in the wild' as it were? It takes at least a week of conditioning in the home (blow the whistle just before you put his food down, blow the whistle when you're going to give him a treat, etc) before he'll learn that the sound of the whistle always means there's an absolutely superlatively high-value reward to get him to recall straight away ...

My apologies if you've done all this already and I'm being insulting. :o

I would like to try whistle training too but dont know how to go about it - can anyone point me in the direction of a book on online advice?

If I remember rightly there was a very old post that dealt with whistle training and I saved it somewhere. I will try and find it but not sure if I am allowed to cut and paste it as it was somebody else's information?

Can anyone tell me please if it is ok to put the info on this post or who I have to ask for permission.

Ta Jean no you are not being insulting we have been doing as you said at home for about a week then I took him to the park yesterday to try it out and he was great but it is only a small fenced in area the beach is a huge open expanse I think I will try the park for a bit more training before venturing to the beach again. Unfortunatley he is not totally food motivated he just gets so thrilled at the idea of running free he goes deaf to anything that may try and stop him.

I think the whistle is the best doggy product that I have ever bought, Both my Goldie and Flat Coat have been trained to it.  However My Goldie still has a deaf ear and on occasions just completely ignores it, and proceeds to crouch and do his business he then looks at us as though hes saying "just wait I'm busy I'll be there when I'm finished".  My Flat Coat never lets me down.

I have tried and tried with my Goldie but I just can't make him listen sometimes.

Went back to the park tonight and he was perfect with the whistle I must have to work up to the beach:rolleyes:

How do you train to do recall by whistle, do you use a normal whistle or dog whistle. i would like to give it a try OH is keen too, Jack seems to response to my voice better then his.

It sounds as if you had far too many exciting distractionson the beach - you need to very gradually introduce distractions, and also if possible set up situations which are under your control with things like joggers, if you can arrange it :)

If not, just practice but don't expect too much too soon, and also remember it's better to "pre empt", rather than whistle when the dog is already running from you towards something else which is interesting :)

It may not be a bad idea to get some hands on training help, just to go out with you for a walk and give on-the-spot advice. Try www.apdt.co.uk for someone near you.

Lindsay
x

To start of with the whistle I got some frankfurters cos they stink and he loves them and just any whistle I picked up a halloween one from sainsburys .  Chop the frankfurter into tiny pieces then in the same room as him I blew the whistle he came to see why mum was making such an awful noise and he got a treat blow and treat until wherever he is in the house when he hears the whistle he thinks frankfurter and runs to you I only did this in the house for about a week you need him to think food as soon as he hears the whistle.

For what it's worth, I've been whistle training Nips for a while now and he's really taken to it. He's not at all food orientated and, being a hunting breed, can easily get out of shrieking your head off range.

My strategy was:

Buy a gundog whistle.

Find a seriously rewarding treat that is only used in conjunction with the whistle

Start by "charging" the whistle at home and then move to the garden.

Took the dog and the whistle out to a quiet part of the great outdoors ensuring that there were no distractions like other dogs or people. Also I chose to avoid sunset when the rabbits are out in force and were likely to be more attractive then even the tastiest treat.

Do a lot of whistling and treating repeating the training at home as well as when out.

When the idea that he recalled to a whistle had got firmly fixed into his head I got to the bolder stage which is where we are at the moment. This week I'm pleased to say I've successfully whistled him away from an enjoyable playtime with other dogs and recalled him (at the speed of light!) from the depths of one of his favourite hedges.

I'm not complacent, mind. :D :D