Pet Care - Training & Behaviour - Training Your Dog to Recall Using a Whistle

Training Your Dog to Recall Using a Whistle

By Lynne Davies from BBC TV’s 'Dog Borstal

Recall is probably the most important response that you need from your dog. Whatever the problem, whether dog aggression, people aggression, prey drive or just over friendliness, your dog can be controlled if you have great recall.

Why Use a Whistle
I prefer to use a whistle for recall as creates a consistent command which is not affected by your tone of voice or mood. When you call your dog the tone of your voice will vary depending on the reason for calling him. To your dog your voice will sound excitable, anxious, annoyed or desperate depending on the situation. Whistles sound the same regardless of your mood and therefore do not influence your dog’s reaction. I like to use a dog whistle that I can hear as I want to know that it is working (silent whistles can’t be heard by most humans). I never use a referee’s whistle if I am likely to walk my dogs near to where sporting events are taking place as I am sure that the sight of my dogs hurtling at full pelt towards a referee during a football match would not be welcome!

Before You Start
With any training it is important to remember that you must not rush the process. It is essential that you introduce things a step at a time and must be prepared to go back a step if the dog starts to struggle. Training sessions should be kept short but regular and you must be consistent in what you ask for and how you reward the dog.

The following training for recall with a whistle will only be effective if introduced gradually over a period of several weeks. You should blow the whistle a maximum of three times on each training session and should do a maximum of three training sessions each day. You must stop each training session before the dog gets bored. Do not move on to the next level until your dog is turning on a sixpence at the previous level.

You will need a whistle and whatever works best for your dog as a reward - this may be a game with a favourite toy or high value treats (i.e. small pieces of chicken or cheese). If you are using food then vary the treats so that the dog gets a surprise each time and remember that your dog will work best when he is hungry.

A Step at a Time
Start the training indoors with no distractions.
Blow the whistle and when the dog come to see what is going on lure him into a sit and give him a treat. Repeat this throughout the day and gradually increase the distance between you and the dog before the whistle is blown - going into another room is a good way of doing this. When the dog always comes to you as soon as the whistle is blown (no matter where he is or what he is doing) you are ready to move to the next step.

Repeat the same exercise but introduce a distraction by calling the dog when he is playing with a toy or with another member of the family. Again start by being in the same room as the dog and gradually increase the distance. Only when the dog is recalling without fail indoors should you attempt to do the same exercises outdoors.

Repeat the same exercises in your own garden; first of all without any distractions and then with distractions.

Once the dog is recalling consistently out in the garden you are ready to take the exercises to a field, park, woods etc. It is important to start without any distractions so try to find somewhere quiet and remember to increase the distance gradually.

Keep up the Good Work
Once you have established the recall make sure that you regularly recall your dog throughout your walks, rewarding it each time it returns. If you only ever recall your dog when you are going to put its lead on and take it home or when you are trying to get it back when it is having a good time doing something else then you are setting yourself up to fail!

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