# Whistles



## _Paul (Jan 15, 2014)

Hi all,

I would like to use a whistle to back up my verbal command for a recall.

Can anyone recommend a good brand whistle. I would like a silent whistle so I don't disturb people early in the morning. Are they ok? As I read somewhere that it is difficult to get a consistent sound using one and that no two are similar, so if you lose one, then you will have to retrain your dog to respond to the other. Can anyone advise please.

Thanks


----------



## BriGuy (Aug 31, 2010)

I had a winchester silent whistle, and I don't think Cookie heard it very well. I'd be interested to hear other's experiences too. 

I usually hike with a regular whistle, mostly a cheap plastic Fox 40. I really like having the whistle as an additional recall cue, since the sound carries farther, and is more consistent than my voice. This whistle is not something I would use at 6 am if I want to keep on friendly terms with the neighbors. The world of whistles is more vast than you can imagine. 

Whistles-Dogs Afield


----------



## _Paul (Jan 15, 2014)

Thanks. The six am is my concern. I am up early with Shelby and would like to use the whistle instead of the verbal command as even my voice may disturb someone. Therefore the silent whistle would be great, but not if they will only confuse Shelby. A normal whistle would be fine in the day, but didn't think it wold make sense to get her use to two different whistles.


----------



## Chritty (Aug 17, 2014)

I just bought 2 whistles from eBay for under $4. 

I have no idea of the quality or effectiveness of these whistles yet but for less than a cup of coffee why not huh?!

These particular whistles have two sounds. One is a quiet one so that you know it's working. The other is the supersonic one. And the supersonic whistle's pitch is adjustable so that you can make sure it falls within a dog's hearing spectrum. 

I'll let you know how it goes if you would like?


----------



## Harleysmum (Aug 19, 2014)

How are the whistles going Chritty?


----------



## Chritty (Aug 17, 2014)

I'm not convinced that the Cheapo ones that I bought are actually super sonic. And I think that the adjustable pitch is too fiddly and too untrustworthy. 

All round I don't think I'm the best person to come to for whistle advice lol!!!!


----------



## CarmenK (Dec 27, 2010)

ACME whistles are tuned, so they have always the same pitch.

Acme's Silent Dog Whistle is actually not silent but almost inaudible to humans. It has a pitch register to adjust frequency. But, they do not work until the dog has been trained to it.

In my opinion the key is not the pitch but the consistency of the blasts. I changed whistles a few times last year (in field training). None of our dogs had problems to obey to the different pitches.


----------



## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

The silent whistles are difficult to deal with. They're hard to get tuned and don't carry very far when they do work. The plain old cheap plastic Roy Gonea special works really well for most people. Try to avoid the Fox 40's if possible. Those suckers are LOUD.


----------

