Some Thoughts on Dog Whistles

By Ken Devonald

What do dogs hear?

It is fairly common knowledge that dogs can hear generally higher pitches than we can. Still, speaking from experience, the ability to hear higher pitches doesn't always last - I can't hear bats anymore. So this got me thinking, will the same thing apply to dogs? If you train them with a high pitched whistle, come their middle age, will they no longer be able to hear you blasting out? From now on, I am not going to buy any 'silent' whistles, tempting though the idea is.

To warble or not warble?

When I first got interested in dog training, there was a fad to use two whistles, one with a constant tone for most commands, then a referee's type whistle complete with pea to warble. This second whistle was LOUD and supposedly used to act as a STOP! signal. However some very good advice seemed to be, never use a pea in a whistle for a dog, because you will spit into the whistle and the pea will swell and get stuck. The other problem is struggling with two whistles when the pressure is on.

What about a buffalo or stag horn whistle?

One great thing about these types of whistle, is that the tone can be quite distinctive. There is much less chance of losing your tone amongst the whistle blasts of your companions not always a consideration if you shoot with only a couple of friends or alone). One drawback is that they may be more susceptible to problems with change in tone due to weather variations.

What do I use?

I use a standard plastic whistle, normally an ACME 210 and a half. The advantages that I can think of include that I can buy a replacement with a minimum of fuss, there are few problems with weather or spit, and being non-adjustable I am not going to accidentally adjust it away from the tone that the dogs are used to.

Would I be tempted by anything else?

I must confess to a slight hankering after a staghorn or buffalo horn whistle, but only because of the individuality of each piece. If I had one, it is ten to one I would be back with my plastic ACME, 210 and a half, black, replaceable dog whistle before the first day was out.

Ken Devonald first tried training a Parson Jack Russel not to bite the nearest alsation, then progressed to screaming across Exmoor in pursuit of an English Springer Spaniel, before becoming the proud co-owner of a pair of German Shorthaired Pointers. He is currently developing a Gundog Training Site, which you can visit here!