Features to Consider
Silent Whistle
When you see a whistle described as ‘silent’, this doesn’t mean it doesn’t make a sound, but rather that it delivers a whistle that is slightly beyond a human’s audible sensitivity range.
As dogs have a much higher hearing frequency than humans, this means they can hear the pitch of the whistle much more clearly and so will respond to its use.
Silent whistles are therefore a very good choice for hunters who don’t want to give away their position but still need to contact their dog. They’re also a good option for just generally recalling your pooch in public areas like parks without distracting, alarming or alerting everyone else in the vicinity!
However, be warned, some silent whistles provide a frequency so high that even your dog may not respond, so try and purchase an adjustable model if possible.
Pea or Pealess
Whistles that contain a pea simply refer to a small cork ball placed within a whistle that allows users to trill the sound and create combinations or unique calls for your dog to respond and react to in different ways!
However, in seriously cold winter climates, this pea can become frozen from saliva in the whistle, effectively breaking them. Pealess models are therefore available and can also provide a quicker more clear blast of sound!
Adjustability
Whistles with adjustable frequency allow you to tailor the pitch of your model to the perfect audible range for your specific breed of dog!
Cords Or Chains
Allow you to easily hang it on your person without losing it in a bag or pocket!
Things to Consider Before You Buy
Frequency
When buying a dog whistle, you will often notice it’s frequency being advertised heavily, which can often mean absolutely nothing to you if you’re buying one for the first time.
Essentially what frequency you want is up to you. If you want to be able to hear your whistle and know its working, you’ll want a model delivering between 4,500 and 5,000Hz, which will sound incredibly loud and clear to both parties!
However, professional dog whistles usually boast a frequency of around 5,000 to 6,000Hz, which should be fine for any breed of dog!
Distance
The distance at which your whistle is still clearly audible to your dog is obviously incredibly important! If you’re planning to take them on activities like hunting or they just tend to get about a lot, you’ll want to find models which boast audible distance ranges of 1Km or more.
However, if you plan to use your whistle just for general training purposes or close and personal work, your whistle doesn’t really need to be effective over 90m.
Ease of Clean
Whistles are hotspots of bacteria thanks to the fact they spend so much time in your mouth and gathering salvia! Yuck right? That’s why it’s important to bag yourself a whistle which can be easily cleaned in mere minutes before heading out with your faithful pooch.
