Hunters do more distance off leash work with their dogs than any other type of dog handler. Here is why that is important, and something we can learn from them.
About a decade ago, I was hiking in the Superstition Mountains during the summer. It was a 104 ° F day. I was in excellent shape and was used to hiking year-round in AZ heat. I had good gear, lots of water, and had been drinking lots of water.
All our hikes were fast. Very fast… as in, few people could keep up with us anywhere. So, we had been hiking for an hour or so, had made it up to the top of the ridge, went down into a valley, and then were powering up a relatively steep incline. I sat down to take a quick drink and told my brother-in-law to keep going and I’d catch up.
He takes off to get to the next landing. I drink some water, put back on my gear, and… I’m out of gas. I’m overheating. I wait a bit and try again, but no energy. I call out to him to tell him I’m in trouble, but he can’t hear me. The outdoors absorbs a lot of sound. Eventually, he came back down the hill to find out what was going on. We eventually made it back down the mountain and back to the truck, but I was wiped out for the entire week.
He couldn’t hear me.
After that, I started carrying a whistle in my backpack.
When a dog gets away from you, even with their excellent hearing, they can sometimes not hear you. A rushing stream, traffic noise, crowds of people, the plants and terrain, can all drown out your calls. Furthermore, if a dog is highly focused on something, they will also have trouble hearing you.
That is where dog whistles come in handy. I recommend that all my students who plan on hiking with their dogs teach some basic whistle commands to their dogs. Just like they do with hunting dogs. People are so focused on teaching this or that skill, but don't think so much as to how it is going to work out in the real world. If a dog can't hear you, they can't obey you.
I have tested a variety of dog whistles over the years. You don’t want one like they use in sports, with that internal pea. You want a clear, high pitched, loud whistle. You also want one that is easy to find, so I prefer the fluorescent orange ones.
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