{"id":12583,"date":"2023-04-18T14:37:25","date_gmt":"2023-04-18T14:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/blog\/uncategorized\/dog-whistle-commands-what-are-they\/"},"modified":"2023-04-25T10:35:19","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T10:35:19","slug":"dog-whistle-commands-what-are-they","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/en-us\/blog\/puppy-training\/commands\/dog-whistle-commands-what-are-they\/","title":{"rendered":"Dog Whistle Commands: What Are They?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Swit swoo\u2026 no not that sort of whistle a dog whistle is more than just a swit swoo noise, it\u2019s actually a way of asking your dog to do a certain behavior cool or what?! Dog whistles cues and commands are frequently taught to gundogs and sheepdogs, but they can be used by any dog if you teach them in the right way, and are brilliant for working dogs at a distance where they might not hear your voice so well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Blow your training woes away with Zigzag! <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In this article we\u2019ll be filling you in on what dog whistle commands are, what dog whistle commands are used for, the top dog whistle commands to learn, and how to teach your dog whistle commands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dog whistle commands should be taught with positive reinforcement, just like we do in the Zigzag puppy training app<\/a>. We\u2019ll take you through all the basic obedience commands you\u2019ll need for your puppy like walking on a lead, recall, and more, plus we teach important life skills such as socialization, habituation, toilet training, and coping alone at home. There\u2019s also a team of professional dog trainers <\/a>ready and waiting to talk to you about your puppy 24\/7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Destiny Wiens<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What are dog whistle commands? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dog whistle commands are a specific number of whistle toots that signal to a dog to do a certain behavior. They\u2019re clear for a dog to hear as they cut through all the background noises, and they also don’t carry emotion, so don\u2019t convey stress to your dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dog whistle commands don\u2019t disturb other people, or animals as much as a human shouting commands<\/a> does, so it\u2019s better for nature to use them instead of your voice.  
It\u2019s also worth thinking about saving your own voice, if you\u2019re having to call your dog<\/a> from far away it can make you quite hoarse, so a whistle prevents you from getting a sore throat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are dog whistle commands used for? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Typically, dog whistle commands are used for training sheepdogs<\/a> on the hillside, but also for training gundogs<\/a> out on the moors and dales. In fact, any dog that works at a distance can be trained to listen and work for whistle commands, and your puppy can learn them too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dog whistle commands <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sit\/stop<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Getting your dog to sit<\/a> at a distance when you blow the whistle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dog whistle command for this is one \u2018toot\u2019 of the dog whistle. Teach your dog on a single soft \u2018toot\u2019 to begin with, and you can use a stronger one when they\u2019re at a further distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Come<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Getting your dog to recall <\/a>away from anything and everything fast!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dog whistle command for this is usually 3 sharp toots on the whistle, loud enough that your dog can hear them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n


When you\u2019re training a recal<\/a>l, it\u2019s useful to use a long line to begin with so that your dog has a good chance of getting it right and not ignoring you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turn<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is a command you can use if you\u2019re asking your dog to search an area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dog whistle command is usually two short toots.
Learn more about getting your dog to search and use their nose in our training games library.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Zach Lucero<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to teach my dog whistle commands <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To teach dog whistle commands, you introduce the whistle just like you do any other new cue. It’s easy if you have already taught your dog with verbal commands to switch from saying \u2018sit\u2019<\/a> to blowing the whistle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dogs learn visually much faster than with verbal or whistle cues alone, we typically get the behavior either through shaping or using a treat<\/a> to lure, we then turn that into a hand signal<\/a> and then add a verbal or whistle cue right before we do the hand signal.
This is what the process looks like to whistle train a sit<\/a> using the lure and reward<\/a> method from the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n