Whiste dilemma SOLVED

[TheAdventuresofBarnaby]

We've started training Barnaby on the whistle and its going pretty well.

But we have a dilemma:  My wife purchased a lovely hand made horn whistle.  This is a traditional hunter's whistle here.  The dilemma is that being hand made I'm concerned that no two whistles will have the exact same tone,  and we need a second as a reserve.  We're aware that the tone needs to be an exact match so that the training does not have to be redone in its entirety.

Yes,  I now know that we should have chosen an Acme whistle in the first place....but they are not easily available here.

Anyway,  I'm back to UK in a few weeks time and decided that for all of the potential retraining issues,  that I'd pick up some Acme's while there.  But which one to choose?  210.5 or 211.5 etc etc.  One of my interests is Ham Radio,  so I was quick to start thinking of technical solutions..... recording and analysing the horn whistle's exact frequency, and researching the frequency of the Acme's to find a perfect match......  Questions immediately arose about how close a match was  going to be close enough in the brain of a Cocker?   Lots of questions and lots of variables... a good challenge.

So yesterday evening with Barnaby playing in the garden I started searching the Acme website for the exact frequency data that I needed.    I wasn't able to find the exact data that I needed and was a little disappointed.  At the last minute just as I was about to give up I noticed that on the description of each whistle there was a Play-it-now icon that played back a short recording of the whistle in question.  I was on the page of a 210.5 model so clicked the button and was rewarded with a playback that seemed a pretty close match to my ear.  Next I did the same with the 211.5 model. That one sounded a little "off" to me......  but next second there was a rumble of full-charge paws on the floorboards and young Barnaby skidded to a sitting halt in front of me....the look on his little face plainly expected the reward of a treat for recalling so well!!!

I tried it again an hour later to be sure.  210.5 no reaction,  211.5 drew him in straight away.

So,  technical solutions were totally unnecessary,  the difficult decision process was done by our little boy all on his own http://cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/Smileys/classic/cool4.gif

[cazza]

Very interesting read

Glad you have solved your whistle dilemma

I use a 211 1/2 

[Joules]

The Acme 210.5 is the one generally used for spaniels, but if another one works for Barnaby, then brilliant.

You can get them from Amazon too 

[ips]

Yep 210-5 is standard spaniel BUT I also use a silent and or whistle through my teeth and she responds to either. It is more down to how or rather who blows it which is why they know which command is for them on a beating line when many whistles are going off. I wouldn't get to hung up about it to be honest.

[TheAdventuresofBarnaby]

We never trained our old Cocker on a whistle and felt that to have been a mistake.  It looks like we were right too, as Barnaby will enjoy a greater degree of freedom on walks if he continues on current trajectory.

So we're new to this whole way of communicating and the little research we did seemed to indicate that Cockers are frequency discriminatory in this respect.  We failed to consider that the loss or damage to the original whistle could cause problems,  hence the decision to go down the  Acme calibrated whistle route.   For a piece of injection-moulded plastic they are fairly expensive here, after postage is accounted for.  Hence my desire to get the choice right. 

Interesting what you've experienced IPS.  We are making a point of sharing the whistle between me and Sarka when out on walks.  For sure the way we blow it imparts a definite identity to the sound emitted..... my sharp five pips changes into a gurgly warble when Sarka's giving it a go.  Barnaby instantly recognises that the whistle is meant for him,  and just as instantly recognises who's calling him and goes to them.  It'll be interesting to test this further when we have the matching his 'n hers versions:-)

Thanks for the polite pointing out of the errors in description on my original post.  All corrected now.  210.5 and 211.5 :-)

Its the 211.5 that seems to match best to the uncalibrated whistle we're using at the moment.  First test of this new whistle will be on the beach at Holland-on-Sea,  but trust me,  the Czech hunting whistle will be on the lanyard as well...just in case.

[ips]

I use the silent when quartering her close and also when we are away in caravan so as not to cause disturbance to other folk. The 210-5 I use for recall and at other times. You can of course blow the acme quietly as well and from my experience the dog differentiates who is doing the blowing not what is blown. Of course this should not be taken as gospel as it is based on my limited experience of my dog.