Stop Whistle & Retrieving

Once your stop whistle is reliable, you can begin to introduce it into your retrieving exercises.

This is an important step in developing a responsive gundog, as your dog learns that the stop whistle applies not only during basic exercises but also when they are excited and working towards a retrieve.

As always, introduce this slowly. Do not use the stop whistle on every retrieve, as your dog needs to remain enthusiastic and confident in their work. If you use it too frequently, you risk making your dog hesitant or “sticky” when going out for a retrieve.

The tutorial in this section shows how to use another retrieve as the reward for stopping correctly. This helps your dog understand that stopping does not mean the work has finished, but that listening to you can lead to another opportunity to work.

Build this up gradually and make sure your dog is successful before increasing the difficulty. Start in a controlled environment and only progress when your dog understands what is expected.

Remember, the stop whistle is about communication and control, not stopping your dog from working. A reliable stop whistle creates a dog that is confident, responsive and able to work with you as a team.