Do you, or have you, whistle trained your dog?

[drivinmecrazy]

We have a 14 month old Weimaraner.
Our trainer told us to concentrate on the 4 peeps for recall.
We've had, mostly, great success with this.
I've been using two peeps for sit and he's been great with this on the lead and we're just starting to get consistency off the lead, as long as he's not too far away.
Any hints and tips would be very welcome.
I'd rather he was trained for basic commands to the whistle to save me sounding like a screaming banshee in the field!!

Well my labs & I have a limited repertoire of whistle commands , but their recall is instant to my whistle. I don’t use 4 peeps though, I use a very distinctive ‘wolf’ whistle, so they always know it’s me. ( lots of dogs, lots of whistles near me).

I use a mix of whistle and hand signals outside. It works reasonably well, though we’d not win a field trial or obedience class.

My first dog trainer told me I didn’t have a voice for recall 😳

I've got a German Pointer who is trained to voice, whistle and hand signals.

She sits on a long whistle, goes anti-clockwise on one peep, clockwise on two peeps and sometimes even recalls on three peeps.

I used a longline to help with the remote sits.
For the going round in circles we started in the garden going round the bin and then progressed to going round the dinning table.

Every day she has a third of her food put aside to be used for training. You need to repeat again and again every day for years to keep them tip top.

Yes I work my dogs so they are all whistle trained:
1 for stop
2 for turning
4 for recall

I have trained the whistle. I have a Labrador, but he isn't used for gun work. I just trained the whistle as he can hear it more easily and it saves me shouting.

One blast for stop, three for recall, two for change direction (I do dummy work with him purely to keep his brain exercised). Je isn't good at the changing direction yet though.

Don't worry about others using a whistle. Even if they all sound the same to you, your dog will know you whistling even in a field of dog whistles.

All mine have been whistle trained. One pip for sit, two for turn (hunting pattern for spaniel) and three for recall. Like you I have seen too many people shrieking like banshees trying to recall their distant dogs.

My lab is whistle trained. I used the Total Recall book as an initial guide.

I use a 210.5 Acme. We used the whistle in the house for the small commands (sit etc), so we could train them in short, regular bursts with fewer distractions(5 mins, 3x a day for eg). Loads of rewards, treats in my dog's case. Once the dog understands the concept of the command linking the desired behaviour, I took it outside and trained it in quieter areas.

I mostly use voice and hand signals now but keep him fresh on the whistle, by using it every few weeks.

I have Labs and a springer, btw. Labs do turn plus a different whistle to hunt.

This is all good to hear.
I will persevere because he's an HPR breed and sometimes my voice just isn't enough.
He's doing really well so far but we've been training him since he was eight weeks old and sometimes it feels as if at the moment it is one step forward and two massive steps back.
He know the commands but often there is something that seems more tempting than me 😞
I do however feel we're turning a tiny teensy corner, there are more responsive reactions than not.
Sometimes!!

HPR breeds do generally take more perseverance to train. My trainer never recommends them to anyone who hasn't trained a working breed to work before because they can be incredibly hard work.
The advantage is that when you crack it, any other breed is going to be a doddle 🤣. I'm a spaniel person (been training + working them for over 10 years now) and I would never have a HPR. I need an easy life 😆

Thankyou Twistyizzy but I think that horse has bolted 😂
We've had Weimaraner's in our family for years so not new to the breed.
A whole difference when we actually have one ruling the roost in our own home !
Some days I'm so positive with his training, others I feel so overwhelmed and we're getting no where fast!
It is more difficult when I compare, or others compare our dog to theirs.
We know he's going to take longer to mature than others, but it sometimes irks me when other dog owners judge us.
For a weim he's actually doing really well with his training, just frustrating when people who don't understand the breed find it so easy to judge.
So it's actually quite affirming when you say that you recognise they mature later than some other breeds.
We love the bones of him. He's supremely intelligent (when he choses to engage his brain) and is so much fun.
As our trainer says to me all the time, by the time he's two (ish) he'll be amazing.
It's just the long journey toward that point 😂

A 14 months he should be a total arse. A well behaved HRP at 14 months is broken.

Our Pointer got a lot more relaxed at 3.5ish.

Ha ha yes and personally I think your trainer is optimistic at 2 yrs old 🤣 I love the breed, I think they are fantastic but I wouldn't get one (and I have working cockers so I'm used to hard graft training etc). I would say HPR mature mentally more around 3 yrs old than 2.
Golden rule of training: never compare your dog or your journey to anyone else. Everyone has a different route to get to the end goal and it is a marathon not a sprint. Try to enjoy the process and take pride in your beautifully trained dog.

Thankyou for this 😂

Pointers are a whole different kettle of fish again 🤣🤣🤣🤣 My friend has them and lives on the Yorkshire Moors. Some days she lets them out of the door at 6am and doesn't see them again until lunchtime!

Twistyizzy thankyou

My mums German pointer was the same!
There's always someone on a more difficult path to you.
And I thank god every day I don't have a pointer!
(Despite the fact i think they are the most remarkable dogs and gorgeous to boot)

You're right at 14mo, teenaged dogs are a law unto themselves. They will forget everything you ever taught them and drive you to tears. You can treble that feeling for smart cookie working breeds.

I've got two GSPs, one is 3.5 the other is 8 months. They both recall to whistle, it's far more reliable than voice for me! I still give them really high value treats for whistle recall - stuff they don't get at any other time.
My older dog has settled a lot in the last year, she's got pretty good impulse control now. When she was younger she could be a real arse - think chasing bikes and runners. She's still capable of being an arse, but a whistle recall or me sternly shouting her name brings her back to me before she gets me herself into trouble

If you are going to whistle train, for goodness sake do it properly. I live on a large area of Open Access land which is very popular for dog walking (people drive there from the nearby towns so we get a lot) and the number of people who think that simply blowing a whistle will miraculously cause their dog to return to them is insane. Some of the whistles used are so high pitched they are outside the normal range of human hearing, but horses can hear them and they find the sound of those high pitched whistles alarming. It is very disconcerting to be enjoying a nice ride and suddenly have your horses spook for no reason you can work out, and then suddenly see a dog walker blowing away on a whistle (quite often with no dog in sight, as the dog has no idea what the whistle actually means!)

My trainer never recommends them to anyone who hasn't trained a working breed to work before because they can be incredibly hard work.
LOL, yes, I have 2 HPRs (and had another previously). Their motto seems to be '...and what is in this for ME?' They are fabulous dogs and we are currently plotting a fourth, but my God, can they be hard work: Wilful, stubborn, and terribly good at thinking that they're being oh-so-funny, or being utterly oblivious, as you tear your hair out. People tell you that dogs can't be stubborn and don't understand humour... yeah, sure thing.

That said, my two are whistle trained:
1 long pip: stop (one stopped and sat on someone else's whistle the other day)
2 short pips: turn
3 short pips: recall.

I know people who have taught directions, or a 'carry on' signal with the whistle as well.

If you're anywhere near an HPR club, it might be worth going to a few sessions. It's wonderful seeing what they are capable of when fully trained.

We have a hpr and the settled down at 2 and all the training we put in (as you are) meant we’ve got a super little dog

keep at it!

What are you plotting for your fourth?? I'm not sure I'll get another, much as I love them! I'll be past middle aged by they time they hit their chilled out years

Well, another HPR, breed under discussion. I know some elderly people (70s and 80s) who still work and even breed them. I think either they wear you out and you swear never again, or they imbue you with some of their life force and you just keep going.

Really appreciate all the comments.
Sometimes, particularly lately, I have really good days with his training.
Others im left thinking WTF have we done 😂
He's really the best dog!

Yes ours are working dogs so they are whistle trained. 1 for stop/sit, 2 peeps for turn and 5 sort sharp ones for recall. They also have a hunt whistle if they are in the close area for a retrieve to tell them to get their nose down.