Q for you folks who train your dogs

[JohnT]

Is there any such thing as a truly silent dog whistle? When I say silent, I mean one that the human ear cannot hear but a dog can (I know different dogs have different hearing capabilities.). The ones I've seen advertised are not really silent according to consumer reviews, and the one I bought pierces my ears.

[RKDauph]

None that I have ever found, and I've looked.

[ttusa]

Hi John, sorry I don't know the answer either.
When I saw the title about training your dog, I laughed-I think mine has ME trained!

[Patti Edens]

I don't think so. When I used to train my Chessie for field trials, I had several so-called silient whistles and I could hear them all loud and clear. Even the adjustable ones are not so high frequency that people cannot hear them. I think there is only a small frequency band that most dogs can hear and people can't hear, so I doubt that there is a whistle that would cover only that band. But that was a lot of years ago, so technology may have passed me by.

[Detonate]

Use a clicker. I see them at Petsmart all the time. I haven't personally used one, but I'd wager it's a good alternative.

[Roy]

I can't stand those clickers......lol. I dunno about silent whistles. If there were any, I couldn't hear them. What kinda dog training are you thinking about or were you just asking about silent whistles?

I've been through the gammit on obedience and hunt test training. Prolly forgot over half of what I knew.

[toverman]

My mom trained her dog with an old 2-liter soda bottle filled with marbles. Of course, that might be a lot more annoying than an audible dog whistle.

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by Roy

What kinda dog training are you thinking about or were you just asking about silent whistles?

Just asking about whistles. Need to curb some unnecessary barking. :-)

[dsjsws]

After reading this thread, I have to ask -
Why do you want to train your dog to a device that you always have to have around in order to make him listen and obey you?

If you train the dog to the tone of your voice and to hand signals, then he can see your signals in a noisy environment and hear your voice in a crowd.
Works until they get old and are both deaf and blind. By then, all my animals have become so used to me and my habits, they seem to just know by instinct what I expect of them.
I used food when they were puppies to motivate them the first few times to crash through a doggie door.
Otherwise, all my animals have done quite well with love, an authoritative tone of voice and hand signals. Unless you want to wear a whistle or clicker around your neck 24/7 I would suggest that the tools God gave you work quite well.
Good luck.
I hope you enjoy your dog as much as I have all of mine over the years.

Donna

[Roy]

If it's bad enough they make electronic bark collars but they cost more than the marbles in a bottle or other noisey items in a jar or a whistle. I know one thing, you need to get a handle on it right away or it could easily escalate. I've got one of those bark collars. It only goes off when the dog barks so any correction is being applied by the dog and not you.

[dsjsws]

Originally Posted by JohnT

Just asking about whistles. Need to curb some unnecessary barking. :-)

Barking - some dogs just bark. It is what dogs do.

You can help by making sure the dog knows that you are leader of the pack and have everything under control. He can relax as a subordinate. Sometimes, it means getting up to investigate the barking.
My dog has two distinctive barks - one for animals he wants to tell to go away and one for people he wants to go away. You have to really listen and know your dog to notice the distinction.
A firm "hush" quiets the first type of bark. (took a lot of work when he was a puppy. A long piece of clear fishing line attached to his collar, total monitoring during that period and a firm jerk when he barks works wonders. A leash does not work, because they can see the leash. Dogs are smart. They soon learn that the leash is causing the jerk. When it is clear fishing line, they think the bark is causing the jerk. It is not quite that simple, but I tried to make the explanation brief.)
The second type of bark he has for people is quieted only after I check it out personally noting what he is alert to and tell him that his vigilance is no longer required. I get up, check things out, tell him thank you, give him a cookie and return whatever I am doing. By being relaxed and returning to whatever it was I was doing, he knows he no longer has to worry. It has made him a top notch watch dog over the years. I never wanted to train him out of that bark.
Using a can that rattles can often backfire. It can train the dog to be afraid of loud noises such as thunder.
I hope this helps.

[carrbowl]

ARe you trying to curb your dogs barking or someone elses dog??

[Wes]

I've trained my dog with an electronic collar. I'd heard great things about them but was wary because I felt that it would be harmful to the dog. I talked to my breeder, and I talked to my vet. Both of them gave this training method their full blessing. As for the training, it worked wonders. I cannot recommend it highly enough.