If I'm doing something like my directional training with target sticks, I tend to keep my whistle permanently in my mouth so I can blow my stop and recall. Here comes the disgusting bit. It may just be me, but it tends to get a bit of dribble in it, which means it sometimes stutters when I blow it next and I don't get a clear signal. To be fair, the dogs don't seem to care and carry on regardless from looking at my body language, but it annoys me. Do you get the same or have any tips for preventing it (other than "stop dribbling, you disgusting woman!")? Also, how do you clean your whistle? All the teenage boys can stop sniggering now. I tend to just run hot water through it, but I was wondering if I could boil it for a few seconds. When I was at the beach, the salt from the air got into it and made it go really weird and I soaked it in warm water for ages to get rid of that. Maybe there's a better way, though. It's just a regular Acme 210.5.
Ug I dribble too. I used to worry about it but I figured my dogs lick me and I pick up poo every day, I think we might survive "sticky whistles"
Perhaps it's a conditioned response that Pavlov would be interested in Seriously though I think its perfectly natural - you put something in your mouth and your mouth is going to assume its food (because why would you put anything else in there!). That being the case I don't think you will be able to stop it easily. So, you will have to consider whether you want to take the whistle in and out of your mouth to avoid the situation or just go with it.
I clean my whistle, (and sometimes I am horrified how much dirt comes out), by putting it in a mug with a little washing up liquid and then pour boiling water on it and leave it to soak for an hour or so. I then brush the sides with washing up brush and rinse. I have been known to put it in the washing machine and that is successful.
My whistle tends to go through the washing machine on a regular basis, along with 2 or 3 poo bags also left in my pockets. There is always a poo bag in my washing machine when I open it. Thankfully, so far, only unused ones.....
Clean whistle - really? Never thought of doing that so I must be really mucky. Anyway Lady gives it a regular suck if I bend down to put her collar on so I guess it's pretty clean anyway. Concerning dribble - just blow harder?
Hehe, mine has just been bunged in the machine. Good idea. I dread to think what would happen if a full poo bag went through the machine Maybe you're right, David. I need to be more assertive, raaar!
Mine don't do that... I'm always really concerned about it dangling in poo when I bend down to pick it up. It's not happened yet, and I've taken to tucking the whistle into my top before I bend over now, because it was only a matter of time...
I clean mine with the washing up if the sound has gone a bit funny. We have thin brushes to clean the tubes from our water carriers that go in rucksaks so I use that and a cocktail stick down the grooves. Mostly I just blow the reverse way to get the dribble out. I also don't leave it in my mouth too much as when I speak I end up blowing the whistle slightly......it's all a bit grim isn't it?...
I shake mine out sort of like shaking down an old-fashioned thermometer. The dogs now know to keep out of the way of any flying spittle....
It never ocurred to me to wash my whistle and it's over 3 years old, well it's only my spit after all I put it in a cup of warm water and washing up liquid and rinsed thoroughly, I must admit it does sound better
I gave my friend one last week,so to clean it before I passed it on I put it in a mug and poured boling water on it,then....put it through the short cycle of the dishwasher It was pristine when it came out .....but he might have started to teach his beagle to recall to a series of bubbles though!
Oh god I am one of those disgraceful people who has never considered cleaning the dog whistles!!! Though come to think of it, my favourite one does sound a little odd... I'll put it through the dishwasher and report back.
To update (because I realise you're all on tenterhooks), my whistle is miles better after a go in the washing machine. As an added bonus, the baby blue lanyard is also sparkly, just like new
LOL, this is a help to me. My whistle spent some time in a funky bag and it smelled. Maybe it was mostly the lanyard that smelled but anyway, I wondered about washing too. What stopped me was the pea inside. I didn't know if that was a real pea, dried, that might go all mushy and no longer work; or a bit of plastic. To play it safe I just washed the lanyard.
