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josie

I have a question to do with working my Weimy when other people are working their dogs - she tries to respond to everyone's whistle, not just mine - she sits if someone else whistles a sit, for eg. Shocked

I haven't taken her on a shoot yet, but this is one thing I'm worried about for when I do....

On the one hand, I don't want to discourage this because I think it's great that she is so responsive and doesn't think but just reacts, but I do (at the moment) reward her every time she sits, especially in a distracting place, and I don't want her to be sitting all the time to other people's whistles and me rewarding her, because we won't get much hunting done, she'll be sitting every 2 seconds! The only thing I can think of is using another whistle to what everyone else uses (I have a European style HPR whistle but am not using it yet - I am a bit scared to use it because one end of it sounds like the football whistle which ends drives and I don't want to end a drive with my dog whistle!!!!) - at the moment I use a 210.5, but everyone uses that - how do I get round this, anyone? Question

Someone said that she will learn "my" whistle and the way that I whistle and know it above everyone else's, is that true Question

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Helen · Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 6:13 pm Post subject:

I use a 210.5 and have never had any problems on shoots with my springers. They respond to my whistle but ignore others, even though they have the same type of whistle.

Helen

Alkemist · Joined: 11 Apr 2006 Posts: 135 **Breed:**

Maybe try setting up a training session - 2 peeps, same whistle, and only treat when she sits to your whistle - she's quick, so she should learn very quickly what to do? Or maybe even go as far as treating her for not responding to everyone elses whisle - this is still positive reinforcement so shouldn't undo her training?

Nina

Allyson · Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 10:47 am Post subject:

Although my dogs acknowledge other whistles they generally do not react to them as of course they tend to look at me for a bit of a clue.

I think it is you that has inadvertently trained your dog to react to everyone else's whistles by reinforcing her when she does! Smile

Perhaps it would be a good idea if you are using OP training to ignore anything that is not on cue and only reinforce behaviours that are on cue, your cue that is? In other words at the moment you are reinforcing her just for the behaviour but it is not really on your cue is it?

Dogs do get to know "their" whistle but they also use either their direct or peripheral vision for your "body" language etc IME. I strongly suspect that no matter how well trained the dog, once it was trained to the whistle, if you tried to control it just by noise from a remote speaker that the behaviour would fall apart......... I might be wrong.
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Claire · Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 1:15 pm Post subject:

I do firmly believe that the dog gets to know the sound of "your" whistle. Even I can hear a slight difference from when I blow my whistle to when Gary blow's his and yet we are using the same whistle.

I've never had a problem with Harris reacting to other people's whistles when on a shoot, like Allyson says, he does look up to see who is whistling and why but he doesn't respond to it in any way. But I suspect this is because he is always looking to me or Gary for direction and he has only ever been praised when he does what we want and not what he thinks everyone else wants.
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josie · Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:58 am Post subject:

Hi - Allyson I guess you are right that I have encouraged her to respond to other people's whistles, by reinforcing her when she does. Smile

But I think that I reinforced her because I wasn't sure if she could tell the difference between my whistle and other people's. I didn't want to weaken the cue by not following it with reinforcement, repeatedly, if she really did think other people's were mine.

I think if she had looked at the person who blew the whistle, or acknowledged in some way that she knew it wasn't me blowing it, then I wouldn't have reinforced her, because I would have felt that she had clearly seen and heard it wasn't me.

But when she responds to other people's whistles, she just instantly runs to me or sits and looks at me and she gives no sign that she is aware the whistle came from anywhere else, so I'm worried that she really does think it was me, especially as I walk around with my whistle in my mouth. And if I ignore her when she does this and don't reinforce so many whistles which she really thinks are me, then I am weakening the whistle cues. Question

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gunston · Joined: 07 May 2008 Posts: 7 Location: India **Breed:**

I Have Used Voice Command,Training All my Hunting Dogs.My Dogs Know My/Our Voices,No Whistles For My Dogs !!
Try It ,It Works Very Very Well.Better on Dogs than a Man ! For that One would probably Need a Whistle,if One Has Nothing else.

DesO'Neile · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 7:37 am Post subject:

There is no such thing as over responsiveness to whistles, in my book. When I have made a faux pas and turned my dog off a bird for years I have been told, "Ah! You shouldn't be able to take your dog off a scent." Bollocks! Somebody who can’t do such a thing is only demonstrating that they haven't got full control of their dog. Dogs are intelligent animals but in this situation KISS, Keep it Simple Stupid. If you blow a whistle the dog must respond, if you don't blow a whistle in can carry on on its lawful occasions.
I would love to have all my dogs so responsive to whistles, anybody’s whistle, because the remedy is so simple. If you didn’t want the dog to stop just send it on. Yes there will be times when your dog may not respond to you first time, due to other people giving commands but that is to be expected. I would also rather my dog disobeyed me a few times in a day because of sheer enthusiasm than respond to every peep of the whistle because it was constantly either looking at me in expectation of a treat of even thinking of a treat.

johnhod · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 8:55 am Post subject:

Get on a shoot and my dog ignores everyone's whistles including mine Laughing

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Helen · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 8:56 am Post subject:

I agree with you when working on the grouse but I would rather have my spaniels respond all the time to my whistle. I find them a lot easier to work when they are focused on me, whereas on the grouse, I am looking for an independent sort who doesn't bugger off, which we seem to have got with our grouse dogs.

I am certainly a lot more strict with the dogs used for shooting.

Helen