Using a whistle for the stop command
Fran Ardley blows the whistle on training the stop command for your dog
An issue that causes novice trainers sleepless nights is teaching the stop or sit whistle. Get it right and you will have a high degree of control over even the hardest to manage dog. Get it wrong and the wheels can come off very quickly, which may not only cause momentary embarrassment but could result in you not being asked back to a shoot.
The stop whistle is the brake on your dog and when you use that single sharp blast the dog needs to respond immediately. It needs to stop running or hunting and preferably spin round to look at you the handler, ready to respond to the next command. It can seem a complicated process but like so many aspects of gundog training, if you lay down your foundations properly it will make what follows so much easier.
Before covering the basic steps it should be pointed out that the single blast on your whistle can be called ‘the stop’ or ‘the sit’; I have even heard it called ‘the look at me’ whistle. No matter what you call it, they all mean the same and the dog must be taught to react quickly. A sharp stop whistle is a joy to watch; a sloppy one is like watching an oil tanker trying to slow down – it takes forever.
Why and when
The ‘why’ part of the training is simple: during your gundog’s shooting career you will need to stop it in mid-action countless times. It needs to stop when flushing birds or ground game; it needs to stop when out on a retrieve and you have to redirect it; you may need to stop it from running in; you may just need to stop it from heading towards a potentially dangerous situation. The stop whistle is the ultimate command and it is the single most important thing you can teach your young dog and it can be taught from a relatively early age.
You must be consistent when training this exercise. For example, if the dog moves on after you blow your whistle there has to be a consequence. The normal course of action would be to go out to the dog and put it back on the exact spot where it was when you blew the whistle. You must not let the dog get away with ignoring the command; you need to keep calm and, that word again, consistent. Do not accept the dog moving a few feet forward as this can quickly develop into a few yards and before you know it the dog is off over the horizon with you blowing frantically on the whistle. Be sharp with your command. Do not blow long, drawn-out whistles as this can lead to long, drawn-out stops. Sharp is as sharp does.
How
This is one exercise that you can start to develop at an early age. In fact, you can teach it and it become a habit without the dog even knowing. Provided you continue with it and don’t overdo it this technique will pay dividends later on during the more formal aspects of a dog’s training.
The common failing I see is dogs that either ignore or are sloppy on the stop whistle. Often this is because the handler has been using the command without rewarding the dog or showing any reaction. As a consequence, the dog develops a ‘what’s the point of stopping, nothing is going to happen’ attitude. They get bored. When they hear the whistle we want them to stop and look at the handler because they know something good is going to happen. We can start as soon as we get them home as pups.
Also, in the early stages I insist that the dog sits rather than stands; many cockers are reluctant to sit on the whistle but during this initial training stage I ensure they get their backsides on the ground.
Developing the stop
‘Going off the whistle’ is a term that experienced gundog handlers will know only too well. It can apply particularly to the stop/sit whistle. There are a few ways we can sharpen things up but these will not work unless you have done the groundwork.
“The stop whistle is the brake on your dog and it needs to respond immediately”