Whistle training goes beyond the commonly known use of recall. It is the same as clicker training just with a whistle tool. Both are ways to mark wanted behaviors.Â
Benefits
Whistle can be heard from a further distance
Sounds Lacks emotion
Types of Whistles
Silent whistles (unable to hear as humans)
Standard whistle
Introducing the Whistle to your Dog
Whistle random times during the day and reward them for looking.
You are teaching your dog that the whistle marks something good.
Recall and the Whistle
Once your dog positively associates the whistle with good things we can start training behaviors such as recall. Start in the house, waiting for your dog to be calm and quiet and then blow the whistle a few times. If you built a positive association with this your dog should immediately come over to you when they hear it. Praise and use high rewards for this. Keep repeating as needed and add in different places and distances.Â
If you are interested in using whistle training with your dog and are unsure where to start. Or even want some guidance, I recommend contacting a professional trainer for assistance. No matter how you want to train your dog make sure you are consistent and so research on the method to ensure no miscommunication or errors are being relayed to your dog. It could make the behaviors worse.
