Dog whistle appears to have taken on this political sense in the mid-1990s; the Oxford English Dictionary currently has a citation from a Canadian newspaper, The Ottawa Citizen, in October of 1995, as their earliest recorded figurative use: “Its an all-purpose dog-whistle that those fed up with feminists, minorities, the undeserving poor hear loud and clear.”
The recent appearance of the figurative use does not mean that dog whistle has not been used previously to describe the habit that politicians occasionally have of sending coded messages to a certain group of constituents. In 1947, a book titled American Economic History referred to a speech by Franklin Delano Roosevelt as being “designed to be like a modern dog-whistle, with a note so high that the sensitive farm ear would catch it perfectly while the unsympathetic East would hear nothing.” However, saying that speech is like a dog-whistle (which is a simile) is not quite the same as saying that it is a dog whistle (which is a metaphor), and this subtle distinction is what causes us to judge the phrase as having originated in the 1990s, rather than the 1940s.
Words Were Watching talks about words we are increasingly seeing in use but that have not yet met our criteria for entry. Share More Words At Play
Figuratively, a dog whistle is a coded message communicated through words or phrases commonly understood by a particular group of people, but not by others.
Given that the term dog whistle has been around for over 200 years, it seems odd that it only developed a figurative sense recently. After all, it’s the perfect word to use to describe something that some people can hear, but others cannot. Yet it is only within the past 20 years or so that it has seen this figurative sense take hold. And it is primarily used to describe political speech.
Find food that fits your pet’s needs
Training your furry friend is an important part of being a dog parent; plus, it has many benefits, including socialization and obedience. If youre looking to incorporate a training tool, a dog whistle may be a good option for you and your pup.
But as a pet parent, you may be wondering: How does a dog whistle work? Do dog whistles hurt dogs ears? What are the advantages of using a whistle? These are important questions to consider when looking into using a dog whistle.
Whistles have been used for dog training and communication for generations. Prior to that, humans communicated with their dogs by whistling the old-fashioned way, with their breath. You can use a whistle to “talk” with your dog and establish a behavioral routine, just as you do with verbal commands or clicker training for “sit” and “stay” or playing fetch.
Dogs respond to even the quietest of whistles because they hear at a much higher frequency than humans. “Dogs and people hear about the same at low frequencies of sound (around 20Hz). This changes at high frequencies of sound, where dogs hear up to 70-100kHz, much better than people at only 20kHz,” say scientists at the University of Adelaide in Australia, and dogs “hear sound frequencies at least three times as high compared to people.” It may seem as if dogs react to a noise thats not there when, in reality, theyre highly sensitive to something we cant hear.
You may have to try out a few different types of whistles to see which one offers you the range of sounds you (and your dog) prefer. Start by learning how to use the whistle properly (practice, practice, practice), and then play around with the sounds to figure out which tones will work for which commands.
There are two types of whistles to choose from: audible or silent — with “silent” in this case meaning silent for humans, not dogs. Some whistles are equipped with adjustable pitches, too.
Audible whistles are helpful when youre working out the sounds you want to use and ensure that youre being consistent. This style looks much like a whistle used at sporting events and, in fact, its used during herding dog events.
Many dog parents prefer silent whistles because theres less noise interference for people. This type of whistle, invented in 1876 by Sir Francis Galton, was used to test hearing levels in humans, cats and dogs. The term “ultrasonic whistle” is more accurate because, as noted above, the whistle isnt silent — it emits ultrasonic sounds to which dogs respond. According to researchers at Psychology Today, the advantage of this type of whistle is that these sound signals travel farther than the human voice and, therefore, can reach dogs at farther distances.
Signs Your Dog Hears the Whistle
When you bring a dog whistle into your home, it is usually because you intend to use it to train your dog for certain things. When you are using it, you will be able to tell if your dog is reacting to it by looking out for a few different signs.
One of the top signs to keep an eye open for is if they start tilting their head. When they tilt their head, that is usually a good indicator that they are interested in either something they are seeing or in this case, hearing. They have heard the whistle and this is them acknowledging that they can hear it.
To add on to this sign, they will usually raise their ears, which seems pretty obvious considering they are trying to hear the noise much more clearly. Your dog will become more alert when they hear this whistle. Humans are unable to hear the dog whistle, except for the soft blowing noise when you use it. So, we must rely on our other senses so that we are able to notice when our dogs are reacting to it. Dogs are able to hear normal whistles, just like us and will react similarly.
Some signs that your dog can hear the whistle include:
Other signs to watch for are: