Should I use a whistle for recall?

It’s a great way to teach a dog to come when called, and can sometimes be even more effective than simply using your voice. No matter where you may be in your recall training journey, whistle training would more than likely be beneficial. A whistle can be heard from greater distances, making this ideal for recalling a dog that likes to wander far and wide when off-leash. Even better, if you use a silent dog whistle, then humans and wildlife won’t be able to hear it. The sound of a whistle lacks emotion. A whistle takes the emotion away from recall, which can help in a huge way. If you’ve been struggling with recall, whistle training could make the world of difference. So long as you introduce it to your dog correctly and don’t rush the training process, your pooch should pick it up in no time at all.

One of the best ways to instil good recall in your dog is to use a dog training whistle as a tool for communication. It is entirely possible that you can train recall using your voice, but there are proven benefits to using a whistle for dog training instead. Firstly, dog whistles are perfectly pitched to get your dog’s attention, even in less than perfect conditions. They cut through the background noise to give you a clear line of communication with your pooch making them perfect for working outdoors over long distances. Secondly, a dog that is learning recall isn’t always going to get things right and frustration can creep into your vocal commands which can stress your dog. Using a whistle instead means that every command will sound exactly the same, whatever you are feeling at the time. As such, using a whistle is a good way to make sure training is more fun and more effective for both of you. With time you should be able to completely replace your vocal command with the call of the dog training whistle, and you’ll be able to progress from whistle recall training in the calm of your back garden to having your dog successfully recall at exciting and distracting locations like the local dog park.