How Can A Dog Whistle Improve Your Dog's Behavior?

A dog whistle is easily one of the most popular and recognizable dog training aids out there, but it was originally invented by Francis Galton as part of an experiment involving the hearing of cats and dogs. This eventually led to the dog whistle's alternate name in the Galton's whistle - while proving that both cats and dogs can hear higher frequencies than humans, and cats can actually hear higher frequencies than dogs.

Many dog whistles are designed for the sensitive hearing of dogs - some claiming to be silent with their ability to adjust them to a high frequency that only dogs can hear. There are also other types of dog whistles that largely resemble a traditional sports whistle and emit a highly audible tone. The idea of a silent dog whistle is much more appealing to most, however, as it means you can be heard by your dog over great distances but you won't have to worry about disturbing the neighbors.

Most types of dog whistles can be used in combination with positive reinforcement techniques to teach your dog to come when called or as means to correct bad behavior such as excessive barking in a relatively gentle fashion. Depending on the whistle you choose, you can adjust the frequency of the tone until you get the desired response from your dog-- whether that is to annoy them or have them come running on your signal.

As with other dog training aids, quite a few people are skeptical and wonder whether dog whistles actually work. In some cases they don't - your dog may simply stare at you when you use it and just keep doing what they're doing. That is the same with any other method of training your dog - you have to find what they respond to, and when they respond correctly you need to reward them for it to get the desired result. When used correctly dog whistles certainly can work, and they just might become a valuable aid for training your dog.

A dog whistle is perhaps more commonly associated with hunters who use them for their gun dogs, but they can be equally suitable for training your companion dog at home.

Of course, before a dog whistle will work for you it's necessary to have your dog trained to respond to it. The first step is to adjust the frequency until the sound has the right effect on your dog - if you're using it for a recall then you simply want your dog's attention, but for correcting behavior you want the sound to irritate your dog enough for them to stop what they're doing.

Once you find the right tone you want to lock that frequency and use it for all future training with your dog to be consistent and get the best results.

HeartMyDog.com is an online magazine written by dog lovers for dog lovers that covers a wide variety of topics including dog whistle information.