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The doghouse

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Original poster

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

58 replies

drivinmecrazy · 27/03/2024 15:41

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!!

OP posts:
Shannith · 02/04/2024 10:39

@twistyizzy I'm 100% with you. I've had loads of working breeds and gun train them (do t work them though) but I would not have a HPD dog.

I'm way too lazy and while they are beautiful it's bloody hard work for a long time and I just cba.

Give me and uncomplicated one every day.

Shannith · 02/04/2024 10:44

I've got my DSIS french pointer at the moment.

He's nearly 4. He is their first dog. I don't know what they are thinking. actually I do, her DH grew up on a farm in France and always had them.

Very different when you live in a house, albeit semi rurally.

It's taken them 3 years of really hard work with gun dog trainers to get him sensible.

Walked him this morning. He's got great recall (now) but that boy can run and run and run and run. You'd never get to the bottom of him.

PointerParty · 02/04/2024 11:05

drivinmecrazy · 02/04/2024 10:09

Absolutely!
It's why I won't go down to my local dog friendly park because Rafa hasn't read the rules of the road.
He & I are far far happier away from people and other peoples dogs for a reason 😂

I'd much rather he was in a space able to express himself instead of a place I'd have to constantly be on at him to behave.

One of the most valuable pieces of advise we got was to allow him his independence but know when to reign it in.
If that were in an open public place that would be very millisecond.

Just do it!

You know from experience that you'll have moments of regret almost daily, but you'll also know that for every second you spend with regret that you'll get hours and hours of love and laughter 💐

And don't forget their ears of velvet and their absolute devotion to their family!

Show quote history

Yes! GSPs are bred to work at distance from handler and don't I know it. I introduced them both to whistle recall from 8 weeks and we've worked on it daily ever since. Taking them to a dog park would not be setting them up for success, we go to big fields and woodland. They can run and sniff to their heart's content, but if there's a horse/deer/tractor they happily come back.

EdithStourton · 04/04/2024 02:39

InfoComet · 02/04/2024 09:58

Bred to take the initiative and be very brave. Great combination for a hunting dog in a huge forest; less good in my local park

I think lots of people forget to factor this in when looking at breeds. I've had Weimaraner owners ask how I get my dogs to be so well behaved. I have labs, I've got a huge head start to begin with!

There is an American dog trainer called Stonnie Dennis who has a wonderful video called something like 'Labs and GSPs compared'. He talks a lot about how GSPs think for themselves, work at distance, are not always natural retrievers etc. At one point he looks at the GSP and says, 'I can't believe they can sell you guys when Labs are available!'

Though of course he knows GSPs and Labs do different jobs.

I do sometimes wonder what having a Lab would be like, but Team HPR here....

Original poster
drivinmecrazy · 10/04/2024 11:59

I just want the poster who said not to whistle from the same place they've left you.
I've been practicing changing locations and it's working like a dream.
He does indeed look up expecting me to be where he left me but quickly redirects to my new location.
I've just braved it and taken him to my local park which was luckily empty, so we had lots of practice in a new place.
Then when a car pulled into the car park I was able to recall him and out him on lead with no problems.
It's not a park I would use normally, but it requires a five minute walk beside a busy road to get to from home so we had lots of road training and whistling him to sit a roads we had to cross.
I've got to say I much prefer off lead walks in the fields or forest so we've kind of neglected this kind of training.

OP posts:
Original poster
drivinmecrazy · 10/04/2024 12:00

Should have said 'I want to thank the poster'

OP posts:
HappiestSleeping · 10/04/2024 12:03

drivinmecrazy · 10/04/2024 11:59

I just want the poster who said not to whistle from the same place they've left you.
I've been practicing changing locations and it's working like a dream.
He does indeed look up expecting me to be where he left me but quickly redirects to my new location.
I've just braved it and taken him to my local park which was luckily empty, so we had lots of practice in a new place.
Then when a car pulled into the car park I was able to recall him and out him on lead with no problems.
It's not a park I would use normally, but it requires a five minute walk beside a busy road to get to from home so we had lots of road training and whistling him to sit a roads we had to cross.
I've got to say I much prefer off lead walks in the fields or forest so we've kind of neglected this kind of training.

That was me. Glad it is working for you. 👍

Original poster
drivinmecrazy · 10/04/2024 12:20

HappiestSleeping 💐

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