# Call Off: Verbal or Whistle?



## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

So for folks who train in PSA and Ring for the call off, couple questions...

-Do you use a whistle or verbal cue word?
-Do you only use the whistle/cue word specifically for the call off or for all types of outing?


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## Jason Davis (Oct 12, 2009)

I compete in FR. The rules state that you can choose a whistle or a voice recall and I chose the whistle recall. Unlike BR, you can't whistle your dog out and into a guard position. I wanted to make it clear to my dog that when he heard my voice, it meant guard and when he heard my whistle, it meant come home fast;-)


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## Jonathan Katz (Jan 11, 2010)

I dont think it could be put any better than what Jason said. 

Out of 21 dogs at PSA Nationals, I was the only one that used a whistle. Come join the dark side Maren. Lol


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Not doing call offs yet, but for out /guards=voice
for out /recalls=whistle return between legs


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Thanks for the feedback so far...I was curious because it is sort of like the clicker versus verbal marker discussion when doing marker training. Some say the clicker (or perhaps the whistle) is more consistent sounding for the dog, so arguably the same would apply for a whistle. But others would say you may not always have your whistle with you. I have not started to train this yet, but in thinking about it, wasn't sure which I wanted to do: whistle for only the call off/recall or whistle for out on the decoy (from a distance)/recall as well as the call off.


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## Jason Davis (Oct 12, 2009)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> Thanks for the feedback so far...I was curious because it is sort of like the clicker versus verbal marker discussion when doing marker training. Some say the clicker (or perhaps the whistle) is more consistent sounding for the dog, so arguably the same would apply for a whistle. But others would say you may not always have your whistle with you. I have not started to train this yet, but in thinking about it, wasn't sure which I wanted to do: whistle for only the call off/recall or whistle for out on the decoy (from a distance)/recall as well as the call off.



If you're thinking about using the whistle, keep it simple. Recalls, including the call off, use your whistle and everything else, choose verbal. Others may disagree, but that's my preference. 

P.S. Jonny, I miss you (no ****)!!!


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## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> Thanks for the feedback so far...I was curious because it is sort of like the clicker versus verbal marker discussion when doing marker training. Some say the clicker (or perhaps the whistle) is more consistent sounding for the dog, so arguably the same would apply for a whistle. But others would say you may not always have your whistle with you. I have not started to train this yet, but in thinking about it, wasn't sure which I wanted to do: whistle for only the call off/recall or whistle for out on the decoy (from a distance)/recall as well as the call off.


I don't get the full gist of what you are saying Maren. But if you are going to use the whistle for the 'sport' well *you better always *have your whistle then. If you are calling the dog of a squirrel or something in the yard sure that is a different story where you may not have a whistle. But 'X' heel should be sufficient enough for your dog in that situation you'd think. 

As Jason pointed out


Jason Davis said:


> I wanted to make it clear to my dog that when he heard my voice, it meant guard and when he heard my whistle, it meant come home fast


It doesn't get any simpler than that for clarity for the dog in commands. That's the exact way I have approached it as well. 

That being said, whistles do have variation to in pitch, just like a voice all depends on a few factors. How hard or soft you blow even position in your mouth can affect the pitch of the whistle and even different brands and models can be totally different. So a whistle isn't always consistent like a clicker. I've seen dogs that have no problem recalling to brand x look at you funny when you use brand y.

I've done a lot of farting around with different whistles to find what works best with my dogs. Many people use the Fox 40 it is a cheap available everywhere whistle. But it is very sensitive to how hard it is blown in its consistency for pitch and loudness. As well it is very harsh just ask any decoy how he/she feels after having had one blown in his/her ear from under 10 feet. So imagine what the dogs hear with their more sensitive hearing. I've had newbs blow whistles in my ear that I can't hear as my eardrum is actually rattling the sound pressure from that Fox 40 actually hurts. 

The whistle I've found that works well with my dogs is the Acme Tornado 2000. The T2000 has three chambers: Two ultra high frequencies to cut through background noise that your dog hears easily and one low frequency for greater distance so the judge hears. It is also not as sensitive to how soft or hard you blow to have an even pitch as the Fox 40. As well as being a lot more smoother on the ears.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Geoff Empey said:


> I don't get the full gist of what you are saying Maren. But if you are going to use the whistle for the 'sport' well *you better always *have your whistle then. If you are calling the dog of a squirrel or something in the yard sure that is a different story where you may not have a whistle. But 'X' heel should be sufficient enough for your dog in that situation you'd think.


Right, when you're training it for sport, you obviously should always have it with you. But if you have your dog out with you off leash on a trail or something and they kick up a deer or even a dog or another person that they'd want to pursue for whatever reason, it may be problematic to call off if they only really responded to a very particular pitch. I don't train my dog formally for PPD, but that likewise might be a bit tricky should a real life situation occur where the dog thinks they are supposed to engage, but they are not.


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## Gerald Guay (Jun 15, 2010)

Like Jason, Geoff and the others I use the voice for the outs/guards and a whistle for the recalls. Whatever you do do not use your whistle outside the sports field like for calling your dog off a deer. Use your voice and, if necessary, an e-collar. Once a dog refuses to heed to the whistle in real life situations you may start having problems on the ring field. If you do insist on using the whistle for both sport and real life then make sure (110% sure that is) that you can back up the real life situation recall refusal with an e collar.


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## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

Well to me if I was worried about that liability in any shape or form, well then it is possible any recall is not 110% in the first place. I wouldn't have the dog off leash at any point or e-collar etc. To me when in doubt have a back up plan. 

With the whistle it is all about how you train it too. For me I use English or hand signals for my looser commands around the house but when we are on the training/trial field the language is French so as the dog knows that the game has changed. 

My whistle is always in my training vests breast pocket. So I put the vest on and grab the whistle it is always there. I have spares in the car too. Just make sure they are all the same make and model. 

I don't know if you have done anything with a whistle yet. I have started off the whistle like you would with 'the eye contact game' and practice keeping the whistle burst strong short and consistent. As from my experience you can be inconsistent in blowing a whistle it does take a bit of practice. Add in the stress and nerve of a trial and the inconsistency can be worse. But just using it will just become 2nd nature.


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## Ryan Venables (Sep 15, 2010)

Geoff Empey said:


> Well to me if I was worried about that liability in any shape or form, well then it is possible any recall is not 110% in the first place. I wouldn't have the dog off leash at any point or e-collar etc. To me when in doubt have a back up plan.
> 
> With the whistle it is all about how you train it too. For me I use English or hand signals for my looser commands around the house but when we are on the training/trial field the language is French so as the dog knows that the game has changed.
> 
> ...


I completely agree with this... the whistle in the vest is exactly how I ensure that when we go somewhere w/ the dogs, its there. With the puppy when we're on trails, I keep a tug in the vest so that when I whistle recall he comes back fast for something.

I also completely use French while training, and English for looser commands around the house. But with the puppy, we use French at home, because there are good training opportunities for training during feeding time etc... i.e. having eye contact before he goes in

As for Indi, she's like a rocket coming back also. I often think I'm not that good of a handler/trainer, it's just that the dog is super quick at picking things up.

We shape it w/ the puppy like this: "Mako out" whistle... then excitement at our end to get his attention to come back. Then we have a tug or leg sleeve for him to hit once he comes back. He's then outed and into a heel... then repeat... He's getting this quite quickly... so we'll be able to put him on the decoy soon I hope.


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## Brett Bowen (May 2, 2011)

There's one team at our club that uses a whistle. That's mainly because she is just not loud enough with her voice when her dog is downfield. 

Personally, I don't want to use a whistle. It's just one more thing to keep track of between, toys, lines, e-collar remote, etc. I'm known for leaving a little trail of stuff wherever I go......just one more thing to loos for me.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Brett Bowen said:


> There's one team at our club that uses a whistle. That's mainly because she is just not loud enough with her voice when her dog is downfield.
> 
> Personally, I don't want to use a whistle. It's just one more thing to keep track of between, toys, lines, e-collar remote, etc. I'm known for leaving a little trail of stuff wherever I go......just one more thing to loos for me.


My sentiments entirely. 

Sometimes, too, I feel like giving vent to my outraged feelings, even if it defies modern dog sport laws. It's amazing how a short outlet of rough language can free me and give my hound the feeling it would do well to obey. I cannot convey this with a whistle although I appreciate the emotionless effect it has. 

There are some situations however where let-free emotions work for both 2 and 4-legged creatures.


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

I use a whistle though for recalls as well as voice..

dog will now do call-offs, I imagine she would call off on whistle..will check it out next time I get a decoy around...

funny tidbit.

I was doing ob at a huge park..dog was offleash far away on a long down...

a local sports team was practicing some type of workout. coach blew his whistle, dog broke down and recalled to me..he was using a fox 40...same whistle I use..

I got a lot of 25 of them on an internet auction site that starts with E, for 30 bucks...they were leftover promotional whistles from some company...I also got a bag of about 50 small plastic promotional whistles from my boss...not sure what type they are...cheap small straight plastic whistle (with compass..LOL) dog recalls with either one, or voice...will recall if I whistle too, without a whistle..I was just glad the dog did not head towards him ;0


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