Can anyone really say there is one best thing to train your dog? Recall, potty training, don’t pick up food off the ground (I haven’t taught this to Lupin)? Probably not.
But there’s one thing that I call "The best thing to train” because it’s so important and so easy: whistle recall.
I over-socialized Lupin initially, and when he would see another dog all he wanted to do was bolt at it to play. I would tell him to sit or down, and he would manage to vibrate 10 feet forward while getting into the position, not looking at me once. And when he was already playing, the challenge was amplified. Lupin may be more focused on engaging with other dogs than average, but, typically, the most difficult thing to call any dog off is another dog, whether already engaged or just wanting to engage. They’re in the zone - focused on playing, sizing up, sniffing, being aggressive/submissive.
You can train your dog to recall from another dog with your voice, and I 100% encourage every dog owner to do this. You always have your voice with you, so ideally your voice is the main thing you use for recall. But, this also takes a while and requires reinforcement, follow-on, and environmental training - a lot of time to get to that point. And still your voice may not always be enough to shift their focus.
Returning to Lupin, even though his self-control wasn’t rock solid for a while, I trained him on a whistle recall early on. It has come into play several times, like a Deus ex Machina, cutting through Lupin’s hyper focus on another dog to snap his attention on me.
This is why a whistle is so impactful - you’re using something that the dog rarely hears, so the only thing that it associates with that whistle sound is you and the best damn treat ever (more on this below). And that whistle in a way is a whole environment for your dog. The only thing your dog has ever done when it has heard that whistle is come running to you. So in addition to the conscious thought that it wants that treat, it’s automatic response to the whistle is to come running to you, regardless of what it is doing at the moment or where it is.
It’s nearly full-proof to teach.
REQUIRED TOOLS
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Get the highest value reward for your dog - something fresh like meat, cheese, donut (yes, it’s ok for your doggo to have a piece of donut every once in a while, especially for this.) Ideally this will be something that is easy to get in the future too.
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Get a dog whistle - I use this Acme Dog Whistle, but any dog whistle is fine. If you have a loud finger-whistle, that will work too.
STEPS
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Stand next to your dog with the high value treat hidden in one hand.
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Ideally he/she isn’t really paying attention to you.
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Blow the whistle.
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You can choose how you want to “toot” it - long toot, a few shorts, short short long, whatever. Just pick a toot/pattern that you will stick with.
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Give your dog the high value treat.
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Wait a few minutes, or however long it takes for you dog to forget about you.
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Stand a few feet from your dog with another treat hidden in hand. Maybe 3-5 feet, but still within arm’s reach.
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Blow the Whistle.
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Give the treat. Your dog may come to you. If not, reach out and give the treat.
Repeat this process several times on the first day. Your dog will likely associate the whistle with “The best damn treat ever” fairly quickly.
Each day after, continue to blow the whistle a number of times from various places, getting farther from your dog:
- Different room
- Outside/Inside
- Around the corner (if your dog’s training is at that level)
- Sleeping
- Playing with someone else or another dog
- Playing with a toy
- Eating a meal
After (and while) you build up the association with the whistle, it’s crucial to keep the whistle “pure”—only blow the whistle when you have an ultra high value treat.
Every dog is going to be different, but aim for 15-30 times over a week building the association, and then look for situations to use it every few days for several weeks after that. After the initial association is built, it’s ok to use the whistle without a high value treat if necessary. But make sure you fill that void with lot’s of praise, scratches and whatever other non-verbal positive reinforcement your doggo likes. And then at the next chance, do a re-association - blow the whistle when you have a high value treat and stick it in doggo's mouth.
This is also where Doggo Discs in the Doggo Treat Tube come in handy. Doggo Discs are not as high value as fresh meat, but they’re as high value as non-fresh gets, so you have at least something they really like easily stashed on you. Also, the Treat Tube can be reused to put messy, moist, fresh treats in!
Whatever you use, whistle recall is one of the most powerful things you can train your dog. Try it and you will be impressed!
