The Whistle Blower

Mike came home from the feed store this afternoon with rolled barley for the sheep, and this for me:

If you've never seen one before, it's a shepherd's whistle. It's specifically for working sheepdogs at a distance.

I have gun dog whistles, and occasionally the spaniels even respond to them when they're not suffering from a bout of selective hearing (commonly known as 'spanielitis'). I also have a walking stick - an 'aide memoir' - for tapping spaniels' bottoms. (Not to hurt them of course, just a little poke to remind them to steady down before the spanielitis sets in). Both are straightforward to operate.

Not so the shepherd's whistle.

I've looked on the internets and found numerous step-by-step guides for operating a shepherd's whistle. But all are about as helpful as Michaelangelo's step-by-step guide for creating great sculpture: you know the "Carving is easy; you just go down to the skin and stop" quote? Mastery of some things require the development of technique based solely on the experience of doing.

Using the shepherd's whistle involves creating a stream of air which you manipulate through a hole in the centre of the whistle with your tongue, all the while clenching it in your teeth. The hole in the front of the whistle is for attaching it to a lanyard so you can a) hang is around your neck when not in use and b) use the string to extract it from the back of your throat when you accidentally suck instead of blow. I already have experience of doing b).

The deal that came with the gift is that as soon as I've mastered the whistle, I can look at getting my first sheepdog puppy.

So far I've managed to wrench a few tortured shrieks out of the whistle, which I am unable to reproduce again except by accident. The house dogs just look at me quizzically, so I guess I haven't hit the right notes yet. My first attempts have also made me light-headed from all the blowing.

I also noticed (once the blood came back into my brain) that it's made by the ACME company. I've seen enough Wile E. Coyote cartoons to know this is a bad omen.

This whistle has the potential to create a strong working relationship between two species. So far, in my hands, its greatest potential is as a choking hazard, but I'm hopeful and persistent (and I'll be putting a lanyard on it before I try again). Just don't expect to see sheepdog puppy pictures this side of Easter 2011.