Dog Whistle Etiquette

[FoxyBoxter]

If you use a dog whistle when out walking your dog, do you use it when other unknown dogs are off the lead close to you?

As far as I'm aware, dogs need to be conditioned to recall to a whistle. I find most dogs over the park aren't whistle trained, but on the off chance that they are, they search for and go back to their owner, not to the person blowing the whistle.

Personally I've never had an issue with blowing my whistle whilst other dogs are nearby - the huge majority just ignore it completely!

I too have never had a problem as PP said when others dogs are near by.

If mine hears another whistle he tends to look at me as if to go 'it wasn't you' and then carries on as normal.

Most of the dogs near me don’t seem to be whistle trained (we are whistle training) but when we have encountered one who is they tend to be trained to a different whistle command anyway, so it doesn’t matter.

I’d never thought about it until yesterday funnily enough. We were walking ours and there was a crazy spaniel racing across the estuary ( the tide was out). He was going out quite a distance and didn’t appear to be with anyone and I was getting a bit concerned that he was lost but could faintly hear a whistle. Mine showed no response to it at all.

I’ve never had another dog respond to my whistle either.

I did once have an unknown black lab come from nowhere and land at my feet, but tbh I think the chances of this are fairly slim!

Friend of mine uses a whistle. Mimbledog totally ignores it as he isn’t whistle trained and she has never ended up with other dogs. Doesn’t always end up with her dog either. Very selective hearing hers has!

Most dogs aren't whistle trained and even those that are seem to be pretty good at knowing if it's someone else or their owner. And mine can also differentiate 'stop, mate' from 'bloody well STOP this instant, you little arse!'