Your instruction was very helpful. I got my first whistle and your video along with two ladies video instructions were excellent. I was able to use my whistle within the hour. I'm learning more control over pitch and tone everyday. Thank you. Very helpful and well played video.
Awesome video! We work sheep with our dog as well as hike in broad areas with him. I can't whistle (mouth or using fingers) to save my life. I did play a woodwind instrument in my younger days, and this video got me making "noise" with my herding whistle right away! The suggestion to practice playing songs is perfect. Thanks so much, Michael!
How have I not found your video before!!!! Absolutely brilliant, I've had my whistle for a while now and this is the first video that's really broken it down so I understand it. My dogs in process of training with sheep so she's learning and I'm learning 😁
Extremely useful thanks very much for posting these videos mate! I just got my acme whistle this morning (plastic one) and it didnt have any instructions at all and its impossible to get any noise out of it, however within 20 seconds of watching you demonstrating I was already making high and low noises. Thanks so much :)
Subbed, thanks! I just got one of these, and I'm so excited to start training my dog. I've used clickers, and my own whistle, but this will be louder and will carry further.
Great tutorial. Couldn't understand what I was doing wrong for a while, but the comment about the tongue dividing the mouth into two halves was what made sense to me. I hadn't been lifting my tongue.
While I was anxious for you to get to the tutorial, the intro material was very interesting and useful. None of that was obvious to me until you explained it. I found Shepard Whistles on a 3D printing site, and googled for instructions. Your site came up. I'm going to print a couple of them and see how it goes. Looking forward to watching Part 2.
Thanks for the info, Michael! Really enjoyed the intro to Treibball you did at Penny's last night. Very cool...I think this is going to be THE next wonderful sport for dogs and their owners!
lol I finally got a sound and my dog immediately jumped up to see what was doing! Planning to use this at work at Starbase. My dog can't be off leash, or he'll be gone, though I did train him to turn left/right with regular mouth generated whistles on leash.
I have been using these sheperd's whistles for over 40 years, both metal or plastic. As kids we made them from bottle caps. When I worked in construction I used them to signal the crane driver with specific blasts so I could use both hands to handle the load under the hook.
You are the best! I actually was able to get a song goin' on before your tutorial was over! I want to use it to call my horses in :) Now on to your next video . . . . thank you!!!
I still love watching all your videos! Kudos for introducing different content but from one trainer to another I absolutely enjoy watching you and you have an amazing talent! I have no idea if you're still training but if so I would love to talk to to you in the future about a podcast idea I've had. Sorry for bringing it here but I'm always on no lie and couldnt get the PM thing to work, either way I sure enjoy watching your Chanel and cone back over and over!
A great tutorial. You may have just started an orchestra thing with that whistle. I'm definitely going to try it with my dog, and maybe just to make music. I used to play the Orchestral Flute, so it's down my line.
It truly is a remarkable tool. The variable pitch whistle is designed to communicate over long distances, regardless of the model. so the first piece of advice I would give you is that when working close up with you dog (or otherwise really) you should attempt to blow the whistle as quietly as possible. Only enough for the dog to just hear it, thus simulating how it will sound at a longer distance.
Yeh thanks for that! I would have absolutely no idea if I hadn't seen your vid. I can now make a sound but I'm still working on how to control pitch. My dog is very interested too.
awesome tutorial, our border collie is 12 and belonged to my daughter and son in law, they moved to BC and I got custody of our dog. We had the whistle for a long time none of us could figure out how to how to use it. After I practice the whistle, I will watch the next tutorial. Thank you.
I last had one of these when I was 10 and was really good at it, just never got a dog 😅 now I have a collie cross and just bought one again. Day 1 today, I can get a squeak, I drive 2 hours a day so the training begins 😄👍🏻
Michael...thanks for the tutorial. I have been searching for a dog whistle to use on my 2 extremely spoiled lap dogs. Yes, I know I created them, along with a lot of help from other members of the family, but it is time for change. I need to train them to come when called-not when they feel like it and to stop barking their heads off for no reason. I believe this whistle may be the perfect answer to my situation. My Shorkie sat right up during your demo-however, my Shih Tzu didn't even budge:)
Thanks for the Video! but i didnt find the Part II you mentioned - is it anywhere on CZcams? otherwise it would be great if you could upload the advanced Level ;-)
great tutorial. problem is I have a fairly long tongue. I found that if I fold my tongue down and put the whistle on the top it creating a space under the whislte I was able to whistle. it took about 5 min before I was able to do it.
@melmeche on the website i gave they also have the plastic ones, which are by far the cheapest and most common. I suggest learning on one of those and then switching to a higher quality one. I haven't personally tried a coriander one, The metal ones are much harder to use and shriller so i know a lot of trainers who don't like them.
Got my shepard whistle yesterday and decided to YT a vid on how to play it. Saw this tutorial and figured it was decent. After a day of practicing. I realized that a whistle is the easiest thing to pull off. You can actually get a deep clarinet sound off of the Shepard whistle. I've been doing my scales all day today. ...suddenly I realized that this guy is a n00b. There are other vids out there that have the clarinet sound and better instruction. I'm pretty damn good at it already. Whistling Isa for n00bs. Making a deep clear note is for pros. Git gud skrub.
Well, here I got the whistle and thought I could start using it right away... to my frustration, I couldn't get any sound and thought it was broke. Thanks for your explanation and now I just have to practice. Who knew this is requiring to actually learn an "instrument"!
I had previously purchased a herding whistle at the suggestion of another trainer to use in hunt testing. I want to give cues such as right or left, sit, come etc and also may use it as a marker since there are so many sounds. I agree that it takes awhile to get the sound but then it is very cool and impressive! Question? I also need it LOUD I bought the lite version, is there a louder version to be heard at farther distance?
@Solstisol Actually a lot of old school Irish/Scottish shepherds use there fingers to whistle like that. Most of us don't like using fingers while working stock because our hands are so dirty :D
brilliant, thanks for the wisdom and help, I'm a total novice and I think without your advise I would of made training my dog to come to a whistle terrible.
Dogs have an amazing ability hear sounds, especially the types of sound the whistle creates, over long distances. Secondly, the metal whistles, theoretically, should amplify the sound better than plastic would, though you really shouldn't need to push the whistles to their limits they can carry an amazing distance.
@PawsitivelyTraining Maybe you misunderstood, a variable pitch whistle is never used as a marker (at least not in herding or treibball), I do use marker words occasionally (not often, because markers don't work very well in herding IMHO) and clickers in treibball, so I do understand what a marker is. However, the variable pitch whistle is used to give commands when use of your voice is either not ideal or impossible. So it is a cue. Hope that clarifies the use of the whistle in herding :D.
Got my whistle today and already can make a sound!! What, what! Ok, thanks for the pointers Michael, songs next. My heart is exploding with happy, I even have some little control! I was decided and determined to get it quickly ;) Many apologies to everyone in my life who now will have to hear endless sounds from my drooly toy. Whattaryagonnado?
Michael, the Sam tatters comment is typical of someone training to be a behaviourist, they spend all their time explaining why you are wrong. You are correct a whistle that uses a specific sound is a cue, its not to get the dogs attention its to give a command Great tutorial, I've had one for ages, worked straight away, the secret seems to be not to try to hard cheers
for mine to work (took 25 minutes) i need to squeeze my cheeks from the sides, so i was wondering, does that mean i need a bigger one? i just bought the ACME plastic one they sell on Amazon.
Recommends for the good quality whistle? Our dog is still 12 weeks old so it takes a while before we can teach whistle commands but i can already try to use whistle :) We have working bordercollie that we hope that will shepherd our sheeps in the future. I tried to make video response with link to video (containing our dog first time with sheeps). But it seems that i still have to practice using CZcams.
Tenerife, Spain, Africa. 'Nice vid. Hey, would our Spanish articulated finger-whistling (that you can see on my last couple of videos on CZcams) be as good as that whistle?
I got one, but couldn't find the instructions how to use it. Was it assumed we knew already? I'd would've loved to use one, even if was just for a walkie to my Tess's favourite park or a walkie around the neighbourhood. Blowing it in Petco or PetSmart might be confusing or annoying to other dogs.
Don't forget that the whistle is only a tool, with proper training it can be a great tool, but used improperly you won't see the results you want. be consistent and don't expect your dogs to know what to do the first few times, and always reward them for good behavior Michael
i recommend the cheap plastic ones. you will probably lose several over the course of a lifetime and the plastic really works just as good as anything else. the other useful thing would be to learn to whistle with your fingers (maybe ill put a tutorial for that too). im looking forward to seeing your video!
I still ain't found a better method than the ol'thumb and flipper finger placed in mouth. But still trying to master this shepard whistle......harder than it looks
I use my fingers most of the time, but there are some times, like after you've been clean horse crap all day, that a plastic or metal whistle saves the day.
I can hardly whistle the traditional way, and I've never been able to do the "finger whistle." I got this to recall my five dogs thinking it would be easy. Nope.
5 days in, and I'm getting a better whistle and can almost tell different notes. A tip for anyone, it's not the breath that makes it sound differently but the position of the tongue. Place tip of tongue next to gum and bottom teeth join, then S the rest up to the top of the mouth. The straight edge goes against this, to change the tone change height of the tongue to top of the mouth. Well that's how I think I'm doing it anyhow.
@halfmoonssky My mistake, I was quoting from your video & didn't mean to include the "whistles" part. I know variable pitch whistles are used to give cues & would be a bad choice of marker; but your comment made it sound like clickers & flash-lights are used to give cues, which (barring the overall cue of "hey, it's time to have some fun" before giving verbal/physical cues) is almost impossible :D
Your instruction was very helpful. I got my first whistle and your video along with two ladies video instructions were excellent. I was able to use my whistle within the hour. I'm learning more control over pitch and tone everyday. Thank you. Very helpful and well played video.
Awesome video! We work sheep with our dog as well as hike in broad areas with him. I can't whistle (mouth or using fingers) to save my life. I did play a woodwind instrument in my younger days, and this video got me making "noise" with my herding whistle right away! The suggestion to practice playing songs is perfect. Thanks so much, Michael!
I have had my whistle for years and years. This was the first time I made a consistent sound. Problem is I don't herd anymore.
Excellent tutorial!. Very clear, concise, and to the point. A lot of information by a knowledgeable user. Thanks
How have I not found your video before!!!! Absolutely brilliant, I've had my whistle for a while now and this is the first video that's really broken it down so I understand it.
My dogs in process of training with sheep so she's learning and I'm learning 😁
Just got my whistle & after viewing your superb instructional video am about to have happy times with various tunes, great video! Dave UK
Extremely useful thanks very much for posting these videos mate! I just got my acme whistle this morning (plastic one) and it didnt have any instructions at all and its impossible to get any noise out of it, however within 20 seconds of watching you demonstrating I was already making high and low noises. Thanks so much :)
Great job, this is a lot better than some of the other general CZcams tutorial videos you see out there.
Subbed, thanks! I just got one of these, and I'm so excited to start training my dog. I've used clickers, and my own whistle, but this will be louder and will carry further.
Great tutorial. Couldn't understand what I was doing wrong for a while, but the comment about the tongue dividing the mouth into two halves was what made sense to me. I hadn't been lifting my tongue.
While I was anxious for you to get to the tutorial, the intro material was very interesting and useful. None of that was obvious to me until you explained it. I found Shepard Whistles on a 3D printing site, and googled for instructions. Your site came up. I'm going to print a couple of them and see how it goes. Looking forward to watching Part 2.
THANK YOU!
I've had this whistle for a month (cheap plastic one). The instructions that came with it were useless and I am finally making noise!
Thanks for the info, Michael! Really enjoyed the intro to Treibball you did at Penny's last night. Very cool...I think this is going to be THE next wonderful sport for dogs and their owners!
Thanks for making this video! It was perfect and you made a lot of great points that I plan on following! 👍😁
lol I finally got a sound and my dog immediately jumped up to see what was doing! Planning to use this at work at Starbase. My dog can't be off leash, or he'll be gone, though I did train him to turn left/right with regular mouth generated whistles on leash.
Brilliant, bought one of these years ago and never managed to use it until i saw your video A+++++++++++
Thanks so much. by the end of this video i was playing tunes clearly. 6 minutes man. great vid
I have been using these sheperd's whistles for over 40 years, both metal or plastic. As kids we made them from bottle caps. When I worked in construction I used them to signal the crane driver with specific blasts so I could use both hands to handle the load under the hook.
You are the best! I actually was able to get a song goin' on before your tutorial was over! I want to use it to call my horses in :) Now on to your next video . . . . thank you!!!
I still love watching all your videos! Kudos for introducing different content but from one trainer to another I absolutely enjoy watching you and you have an amazing talent!
I have no idea if you're still training but if so I would love to talk to to you in the future about a podcast idea I've had.
Sorry for bringing it here but I'm always on no lie and couldnt get the PM thing to work, either way I sure enjoy watching your Chanel and cone back over and over!
Wow this video was amazingly I got it aflter about 10 minutes of practice. Thank you very much
Thankyou for a great tutorial! Ps: I had never thought about the idea of taking the emotion out of a command, makes so much sense.😊
Thanks! I got it right away using your video
A great tutorial. You may have just started an orchestra thing with that whistle. I'm definitely going to try it with my dog, and maybe just to make music. I used to play the Orchestral Flute, so it's down my line.
It truly is a remarkable tool. The variable pitch whistle is designed to communicate over long distances, regardless of the model. so the first piece of advice I would give you is that when working close up with you dog (or otherwise really) you should attempt to blow the whistle as quietly as possible. Only enough for the dog to just hear it, thus simulating how it will sound at a longer distance.
@withtheloveofadog glad you enjoyed it, hopefully we will have competitions coming up soon!
Yeh thanks for that! I would have absolutely no idea if I hadn't seen your vid. I can now make a sound but I'm still working on how to control pitch. My dog is very interested too.
Well done video Michael.
Your so right, I haven’t been able to get a Squeak Out of So Far. I’ll keep trying
Great tutorial man!I subbed!
awesome tutorial, our border collie is 12 and belonged to my daughter and son in law, they moved to BC and I got custody of our dog. We had the whistle for a long time none of us could figure out how to how to use it. After I practice the whistle, I will watch the next tutorial. Thank you.
@Falandorn awesome! glad you found this usefull
Very helpful - I'm trying to make one from a tin snuff lid. Thanks & Happy Trails!
Great tutorial 10/10 !!!!!
Thanks got me started now to practice
this totally helps!!! whew! Thank you!
Great video, very helpful Thankyou.
I last had one of these when I was 10 and was really good at it, just never got a dog 😅 now I have a collie cross and just bought one again. Day 1 today, I can get a squeak, I drive 2 hours a day so the training begins 😄👍🏻
Thank you so much. Really helpful for newbie ☺️
Michael...thanks for the tutorial. I have been searching for a dog whistle to use on my 2 extremely spoiled lap dogs. Yes, I know I created them, along with a lot of help from other members of the family, but it is time for change.
I need to train them to come when called-not when they feel like it and to stop barking their heads off for no reason. I believe this whistle may be the perfect answer to my situation. My Shorkie sat right up during your demo-however, my Shih Tzu didn't even budge:)
Fantastic vid, what brand/model whistle are you using?
I looked at the link but I'm not sure if I could see the one in the video.
Nice video. thanks for the instructions. well done.
Thanks! Great teacher!!!
Removing the emotion is precisely what I need, thanks. +1 for learning to play Star Wars.
Thanks this video was sooo helpful
Chur Bro Thanks from New Zealand.
Thanks for the Video! but i didnt find the Part II you mentioned - is it anywhere on CZcams? otherwise it would be great if you could upload the advanced Level ;-)
Thanks enjoined very much will be looking for #2 video
great tutorial. problem is I have a fairly long tongue. I found that if I fold my tongue down and put the whistle on the top it creating a space under the whislte I was able to whistle. it took about 5 min before I was able to do it.
@melmeche on the website i gave they also have the plastic ones, which are by far the cheapest and most common. I suggest learning on one of those and then switching to a higher quality one. I haven't personally tried a coriander one, The metal ones are much harder to use and shriller so i know a lot of trainers who don't like them.
Nice lesson
Thanks for this, I'm off to practice in the car!
Got my shepard whistle yesterday and decided to YT a vid on how to play it. Saw this tutorial and figured it was decent. After a day of practicing. I realized that a whistle is the easiest thing to pull off. You can actually get a deep clarinet sound off of the Shepard whistle. I've been doing my scales all day today.
...suddenly I realized that this guy is a n00b. There are other vids out there that have the clarinet sound and better instruction. I'm pretty damn good at it already. Whistling Isa for n00bs. Making a deep clear note is for pros. Git gud skrub.
i got the hang of it before the vid ended thank you
Thank u :) informative. I'm buying one today
Well, here I got the whistle and thought I could start using it right away... to my frustration, I couldn't get any sound and thought it was broke. Thanks for your explanation and now I just have to practice. Who knew this is requiring to actually learn an "instrument"!
I had previously purchased a herding whistle at the suggestion of another trainer to use in hunt testing. I want to give cues such as right or left, sit, come etc and also may use it as a marker since there are so many sounds. I agree that it takes awhile to get the sound but then it is very cool and impressive! Question? I also need it LOUD I bought the lite version, is there a louder version to be heard at farther distance?
@Solstisol Actually a lot of old school Irish/Scottish shepherds use there fingers to whistle like that. Most of us don't like using fingers while working stock because our hands are so dirty :D
GREAT VIDEO
this... and what you do... is badass.
Thanks, Michael. You didn't include information about how to change the tones though.
brilliant, thanks for the wisdom and help, I'm a total novice and I think without your advise I would of made training my dog to come to a whistle terrible.
Dogs have an amazing ability hear sounds, especially the types of sound the whistle creates, over long distances. Secondly, the metal whistles, theoretically, should amplify the sound better than plastic would, though you really shouldn't need to push the whistles to their limits they can carry an amazing distance.
@PawsitivelyTraining Maybe you misunderstood, a variable pitch whistle is never used as a marker (at least not in herding or treibball), I do use marker words occasionally (not often, because markers don't work very well in herding IMHO) and clickers in treibball, so I do understand what a marker is. However, the variable pitch whistle is used to give commands when use of your voice is either not ideal or impossible. So it is a cue. Hope that clarifies the use of the whistle in herding :D.
Thanks a lot that was very helpful
Got my whistle today and already can make a sound!! What, what! Ok, thanks for the pointers Michael, songs next. My heart is exploding with happy, I even have some little control! I was decided and determined to get it quickly ;) Many apologies to everyone in my life who now will have to hear endless sounds from my drooly toy. Whattaryagonnado?
thanks mate!
Michael, the Sam tatters comment is typical of someone training to be a behaviourist, they spend all their time explaining why you are wrong. You are correct a whistle that uses a specific sound is a cue, its not to get the dogs attention its to give a command
Great tutorial, I've had one for ages, worked straight away, the secret seems to be not to try to hard
cheers
Very helpful!!!
Thanks Michael.
for mine to work (took 25 minutes) i need to squeeze my cheeks from the sides, so i was wondering, does that mean i need a bigger one? i just bought the ACME plastic one they sell on Amazon.
I was watching your video and Melvin kept cocking his head back and forth with his big ears standing fully erect. Too funny.
well it didnt work for the horses but was great to get my husband to come for his brew but great job micheal x
Recommends for the good quality whistle? Our dog is still 12 weeks old so it takes a while before we can teach whistle commands but i can already try to use whistle :)
We have working bordercollie that we hope that will shepherd our sheeps in the future. I tried to make video response with link to video (containing our dog first time with sheeps). But it seems that i still have to practice using CZcams.
Sweet vid guy thank you. Very much
Excellent advice for people who never used one before...
Good video. I especially liked the complicated song... Star Wars Theme?
Tenerife,
Spain,
Africa.
'Nice vid.
Hey, would our Spanish articulated finger-whistling (that you can see on my last couple of videos on CZcams) be as good as that whistle?
I got one, but couldn't find the instructions how to use it. Was it assumed we knew already? I'd would've loved to use one, even if was just for a walkie to my Tess's favourite park or a walkie around the neighbourhood. Blowing it in Petco or PetSmart might be confusing or annoying to other dogs.
@ericatronic gotta love it
Best video on how to blow these infuriating whistles! Thanks
Very helpful
Really helpful although as suggested this could take some time!!
1 month later. I'm getting a basic tune, and starting to learn the commands.
lol I just bought a whistle after watching this earlier.
What about the holes in the whistle? Where do your lips and tongue go in relation to these holes?
thanks,for the help, ♫ ♪ ♬ works well.
He starts actually talking about how to use the whistle at around 3:23 mins in
Star Wars! Great song
@jppaynesr Glad I could help
real tutorial at 6:00
Is whisles good for huskies ?
where is part 2?
Don't forget that the whistle is only a tool, with proper training it can be a great tool, but used improperly you won't see the results you want. be consistent and don't expect your dogs to know what to do the first few times, and always reward them for good behavior
Michael
great video...thank you...
Thank you!
i recommend the cheap plastic ones. you will probably lose several over the course of a lifetime and the plastic really works just as good as anything else. the other useful thing would be to learn to whistle with your fingers (maybe ill put a tutorial for that too). im looking forward to seeing your video!
Where is part 2?
I still ain't found a better method than the ol'thumb and flipper finger placed in mouth. But still trying to master this shepard whistle......harder than it looks
I use my fingers most of the time, but there are some times, like after you've been clean horse crap all day, that a plastic or metal whistle saves the day.
Michael McManus yea, that's kinda why I got one, always riding the 4whlr. with gloves on.
I can hardly whistle the traditional way, and I've never been able to do the "finger whistle." I got this to recall my five dogs thinking it would be easy. Nope.
5 days in, and I'm getting a better whistle and can almost tell different notes. A tip for anyone, it's not the breath that makes it sound differently but the position of the tongue. Place tip of tongue next to gum and bottom teeth join, then S the rest up to the top of the mouth. The straight edge goes against this, to change the tone change height of the tongue to top of the mouth. Well that's how I think I'm doing it anyhow.
@halfmoonssky My mistake, I was quoting from your video & didn't mean to include the "whistles" part.
I know variable pitch whistles are used to give cues & would be a bad choice of marker; but your comment made it sound like clickers & flash-lights are used to give cues, which (barring the overall cue of "hey, it's time to have some fun" before giving verbal/physical cues) is almost impossible :D