The Farming Express Feb4

Logan Whistles are not just for Border Collies We’ve been designing and making our own sheepdog whistles in the UK for decades – now we’re pleased to offer those whistles to you. Logan Whistles are not just for Border Collies. Watch any dog’s fast reaction to the sound of these whistles. If you use a whistle command before your normal voice command, before long you’ll be able to rely on the whistle alone. You’ll be able to communicate better with your dog and improve understanding through clear distinct commands, all over over greater distance. That’s what makes our whistles different from other generic dog or sports whistles. A Logan Whistle is capable of producing a full musical scale making it easy to create multiple commands that a dog can tell apart even when it is a long way from its handler and the weather is terrible - so ideal for working or competing with one or more dogs. They are also a beautiful object in their own right - streamlined, sculptural objects milled from the finest materials. They’re tried and tested in shepherding – so perfect for communicating with all dog breeds - and as a sports and leisure whistle where you just need to be heard. How to Use a Sheepdog Whistle A sheepdog whistle is held on & against the tongue in the mouth and the sound is produced by air flowing through the holes and out from the ‘sound chamber’ which is the slit between the two flat sides of the whistle. The use of the in-mouth sheepdog whistle requires some practice, but most new users can produce controlled sounds quite quickly. Before using the whistle with a working dog it is recommended that consistent commands can be produced so as to avoid confusing the dog. The dog must also understand what you mean by each whistle command. Use the whistle tone you want the dog to associate with a specific command and then immediately use the voice command it is already familiar with. After a while you will be able to just use the whistle tone alone allowing you to communicate with the dog at greater distances. Begin by teaching the dog your most important command – we would suggest a Lie-Down or Stop whistle tone – usually a long single tone. Make sure you use a consistent tone for this command so practice with the whistle out of the dog’s hearing until you can produce a clear consistent tone. Here are some tips on how to blow a sheepdog whistle, more detailed advice and guidance is provided with each purchase: Here are some tips on how to blow a sheepdog whistle… 1. Hold the whistle by its tab. 2. Place the whistle in the mouth so that the tab is to the front and on the bottom. 3. Blow gently so that the air enters the whistle through the small circular holes inside your mouth, and leaves it between the slit formed by the top and bottom of the whistle. 4. Your tongue on the back of the whistle will vary the direction of the air, and after a little trial and error, you will soon master the art. Allistair Lyttle using an A1 whistle We interviewed an expert in the art, Allistair Lyttle, to demonstrate how he blows a shepherd’s whistle, explain when & how he trains a young dog on whistles and to let us hear some of the commands he uses everyday.