Dog whistle
Encyclopedia
A dog whistle is a type of whistle
used in the training
of dog
s and cat
s. It was invented by Francis Galton
. This is discussed quite briefly in his book Inquiries into Human Faculty and its Development . In his discussion (Galton 1883:26-27) of his experiments to test the range of frequencies that could be heard by various animals, he notes that cats have the most all-round sensitive hearing, being able from a considerable distance to hear notes too high in frequency for humans to hear, and small dogs can also hear these notes, while large dogs cannot.
The frequency
range of a dog whistle is largely out of the range of human hearing
. Humans hearing is typically considered to be between 20 Hz
and 20 KHz. A dog whistle is within the range of 23 to 54 kHz. Some dog whistles have adjustable sliders for active control of the frequency produced. Depending on the way the whistle is used, a trainer may simply gather a dog's attention or inflict pain for the purpose of behavior modification.
The name dog whistle is often used for both lung-powered whistles as well as electronic devices that emit ultrasonic
sound via piezoelectric
emitters. The electronic variety are sometimes coupled with bark detection circuits in an effort to curb barking behavior.
These kind of whistles are also used to determine the hearing range of people or for physics demonstrations.
Whistle
A whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means...
used in the training
Training
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
of dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s and cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s. It was invented by Francis Galton
Francis Galton
Sir Francis Galton /ˈfrɑːnsɪs ˈgɔːltn̩/ FRS , cousin of Douglas Strutt Galton, half-cousin of Charles Darwin, was an English Victorian polymath: anthropologist, eugenicist, tropical explorer, geographer, inventor, meteorologist, proto-geneticist, psychometrician, and statistician...
. This is discussed quite briefly in his book Inquiries into Human Faculty and its Development . In his discussion (Galton 1883:26-27) of his experiments to test the range of frequencies that could be heard by various animals, he notes that cats have the most all-round sensitive hearing, being able from a considerable distance to hear notes too high in frequency for humans to hear, and small dogs can also hear these notes, while large dogs cannot.
The frequency
Frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
range of a dog whistle is largely out of the range of human hearing
Hearing (sense)
Hearing is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibrations through an organ such as the ear. It is one of the traditional five senses...
. Humans hearing is typically considered to be between 20 Hz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
and 20 KHz. A dog whistle is within the range of 23 to 54 kHz. Some dog whistles have adjustable sliders for active control of the frequency produced. Depending on the way the whistle is used, a trainer may simply gather a dog's attention or inflict pain for the purpose of behavior modification.
The name dog whistle is often used for both lung-powered whistles as well as electronic devices that emit ultrasonic
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...
sound via piezoelectric
Piezoelectricity
Piezoelectricity is the charge which accumulates in certain solid materials in response to applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure...
emitters. The electronic variety are sometimes coupled with bark detection circuits in an effort to curb barking behavior.
These kind of whistles are also used to determine the hearing range of people or for physics demonstrations.