Hi, This might be a stupid question, but I was looking for a whistle on Amazon and they vary in price quite a lot. Are they really that different? Which is a good make? Best wishes Michael
Re: Whitles Hi Michael, I have just bought 2 plastic acme whistles for £11 from amazon. I am still to use them as we have 2 weeks to wait before we get our pup but a friend of ours who has a guide dog for the blind brood bitch and is training his 7 or 8th guide puppy recommended that I get a 211.5 which is what he uses for recall. There will be lots of answers from more experienced whistle users very shortly.
Re: Whitles Hi and welcome It's a good question A lot of people seem to use the Acme plastic 210.5 (slightly higher pitch) or 211.5 (slightly lower pitch) whistles. They are pealess, so they make a clear note, not a warbling note. If you lose it you can buy one exactly the same without affecting your training. They are small and light. They come in lots of colours. Being plastic they won't break your teeth if you fall over with it in your mouth. I only use mind for a recall (pet dog). Are you doing gundog training with your dog?
Re: Whitles I tried a metal whistle, which I bought in a local store. It didn't work the sound was not clear, but garbled. I ordered the Acme from Amazon and I like it much better! Not sure which number I got, it is for pet dog training, not gun dog stuff.
Re: Whistles I have the acme from amazon; I think I read about it on The Labrador Site. Not expensive and came with a lanyard.
Re: Whistles I bought an Acme whistle from Amazon after recommendation from the forum. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00IJJGY5Y/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Re: Whistles Acme 210.5 is what we use, lots of pretty colours. but get a Bright Orange one as well? so if you drop it you can find it. http://www.sportingsaint.co.uk/product/878
Re: Whistles eBay is a good source too. Definitely Acme, whether you go for 210.5 or 211.5 is really just personal choice. Traditionally 210.5 for Spaniels, 211.5 for Labs but it really doesn't matter. For interest, the .5 just means it doesn't have a pea so the tone is constant. Get a lanyard too so you know where it is and don't lose it! I keep mine on all day just now (our pup is only 10 weeks old) so I don't miss an opportunity when he's coming back to me to reinforce the whistle. Mostly it's hidden under my shirt. One, personal note of caution, only use the whistle when he's actually coming back to you, otherwise you'll 'poison' the command. At this stage I only use it for the recall, adding it to the sit comes later when I'm confident the hand signal and the word 'sit' are firmly embedded.
Re: Whistles [quote author=Boogie link=topic=6273.msg83109#msg83109 date=1401372018] Can I also ask - if you have two dogs do you have two different pitches of whistle? [/quote] I have four dogs, just one whistle!
Re: Whistles [quote author=heidrun link=topic=6273.msg83124#msg83124 date=1401376497] [quote author=Boogie link=topic=6273.msg83109#msg83109 date=1401372018] Can I also ask - if you have two dogs do you have two different pitches of whistle? [/quote] I have four dogs, just one whistle! [/quote] How do they know which peep is for them?
Re: Whistles I only ever work one dog at a time, sometimes I'll have another one walking or sitting at heel so the whistle commands only ever apply to the dog working, either hunting or retrieving. If I want to call them in from a free run in the field all four dogs will come back to the recall whistle.
Re: Whistles Wow...drooling....I didn't look, but probably shipping them to Canada will cost as much as the whistle :-\
Re: Whistles Good idea! I already have two BLACK whistles, so can't quite justify buying any more just because I want a colour one....but I DO love the colours, I have to admit. Oh well, black goes with everything, right? 8)
