# Whistle Recall



## Amber Scott Dyer (Oct 30, 2006)

What's the best way of teaching a dog that is trained a command recall to recall on the whistle? 

Also, do you do something different to teach the dog to out/recall when it hears the whistle? Or just teach the whistle recall, then the out will follow? (one dog does out/recall, the second is just starting to learn to out.)

thanks!


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

If the dog already knows a recall command, simply pair the two. Use the command, then the whistle. If I were training a dog to release on a whistle as well as recall on a whistle, I'd use a series of whistles. For example. One toot for recall, two toots for out. Same principle as using a whistle for direction control. A different whistle sound for each direction.

Make sense?

DFrost


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

I start the whistle recall as it's own exercise. Because the dog already knows a verbal recall they will pick up the meaning of the whistle faster. Kind of like changing languages on a dog, since they already know sit, down, etc they learn sitz, platz, etc quicker.

I just hang out in the yard with the dog, and blow the whistle. They invariably look up to see what the sound is, and I have a tug or treat in my hands. They come running, get a reward, and we repeat. Until they get to the point where I can't get them to leave because they know I have something LOL At that point I stop and we repeat it again some other time. Once they have the basic idea, I put a long line or ecollar on the dog and pair the whistle with a pop/stim to reinforce the idea that they HAVE to come when I call, not just because they want the reward. And I start to incorporate distractions.

Once this is solid then I can incorporate it into the bitework. At that point any corrections are for the dog not recalling, not the actual out. But he has to out to recall so ...

One game I like to play with the dogs is "doggy toss". Two people, each with a tug and each with a whistle, standing about 20 feet apart. One person plays tug, the other whistle's. As they whistle the tug person freezes. If needed the whistle person will get closer to the dog to show the tug, or administer a correction. Dog outs and goes to the whistler and is rewarded with a game of tug. Then the non-tug person whistles, tug person freezes, etc. The dog just goes back and forth between the two people getting rewarded for the out/recall repeatedly. The nice thing about this game is you can easily do 30+ reps in a very short period of time, really reinforcing the meaning of the whistle and a fast response to it.


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## steve gossmeyer (Jan 9, 2007)

i have thought about doin this as well. whats the benefit of it? Is it better than the voice command?


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## Martin Espericueta (Apr 1, 2006)

What I can see as a downfall of using a whistle is ANYONE can blow a whistle
to get YOUR dog running back. Unlike voice, or even hand signals - which are
obvious to your dog that it's you giving the command.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Let me help you with that one, it seems like that would be true, but the dogs I have trained to recall on the whistle come to me when the whistle is blown.

I haven;t had one just go skittering off after soccer refs yet.


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## steve gossmeyer (Jan 9, 2007)

lol that would be kinda funny though.


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## Hil Harrison (Mar 29, 2006)

steve gossmeyer said:


> i have thought about doin this as well. whats the benefit of it? Is it better than the voice command?


I guess one of the benefits would be that the whistle always comes through the same hardness.........just imagine having a bad cold and bad throat, hardly any voice......could be good to have the whistle recall. I know they use this too on blind dogs to get them orinentated to where the owner is just incase their voice doesnt travel as far as a whistle would. Never trained a whistle recall myself ( never used it) so Im looking foorward to reading the replys too.


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

I'm not sure why, but my dogs haven't responded to other people's whistles. Although I did see a dog at a recent FR trial who did. He returned to his handler during a guard exercise because someone in the parking lot was blowing a whistle. This person blew the whistle 3 or 4 times before the dog responded though, so at first he realized it wasn't his handler, then started to think maybe it was because the whistle kept going and he wasn't responding.

I had a host at a PP tournament though take and use a whistle to signal the start/stop of every exercise. I'm sure to try to screw up the FR dogs who were entered. Not a single dog had an issue with it.

I suspect they can tell th difference between whistles just like they can people's voices. The different styles/brands, how hard the handler normally blows, length of sound, etc.

As to the pro's of the whistle, the sound carries better than the voice, and takes less to produce it. I have tried to do an entire FRIII without my whistle and by the end I had no voice left. It's also handy when you are out hiking or whatever with the dog, as the sound carries a LOT further in case the dog gets some distance away.


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## steve gossmeyer (Jan 9, 2007)

yeah i have stated using the whistle for the recall and its seems to get better results.


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## David Ross (Nov 24, 2006)

Kadi Thingvall said:


> I start the whistle recall as it's own exercise. Because the dog already knows a verbal recall they will pick up the meaning of
> ...
> can easily do 30+ reps in a very short period of time, really reinforcing the meaning of the whistle and a fast response to it.


Very interesting, I'll have to copy the exercise down for future use. I just recently discovered the power of a whistle. I'll have to think about how to use it consistently so I don't confuse my... gremlin.


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## steve gossmeyer (Jan 9, 2007)

animal planet is a bunch of tards they said mostley gsds compete in ring then showd all mals. and i think one shep. but i get your point i think the dogs respond better. and it saves my voice


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## steve gossmeyer (Jan 9, 2007)

yeah i know or they pronounce it wrong


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## Amber Scott Dyer (Oct 30, 2006)

Gee, I was just happy to see something actually ON TV about bitesports that didn't make the handlers look like a bunch of thugs...


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## jay lyda (Apr 10, 2006)

If your dog actually bit someone for real or is going after someone who doesn't need to get bit, maaaaannn I hope you have remembered to bring your lil whistle along with you.


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## Woody Taylor (Mar 28, 2006)

jay lyda said:


> If your dog actually bit someone for real or is going after someone who doesn't need to get bit, maaaaannn I hope you have remembered to bring your lil whistle along with you.


Talking about competition stuff. Would not want a dog to recall well only on whistle in everyday life. I sometimes forget to wear a shirt to work (seriously, I did this once), let alone carry around a whistle.


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## jay lyda (Apr 10, 2006)

At least it was just your shirt!! Man I was just messing around. LOL


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