Dogs can hear frequencies at much higher pitches than their human counterparts, which is why a silent dog whistle is a great way to communicate with your dog. It's silent to humans, but not to them. Making a dog whistle out of a willow reed is fairly easy to do by following a few steps, and it will save you money.
Things You'll Need
- Willow reed
- Knife
- Water
Instructions
Find a willow reed approximately 1 inch in diameter, and cut the reed down to 10 inches long.
Take the knife and slice one end of the willow branch away from you at a 30-degree angle approximately 3/4-inch long, creating the mouthpiece. Blunt the sharp end of the mouthpiece by cutting the sharp point off.
Just above the mouthpiece, cut a small hole into the bark by pushing the tip of the knife down into the willow. Keep this hole as small as possible, preferably smaller than a pen tip.
Pull back the bottom length of the bark by slicing a line into the bark, leaving 1 inch of bark fully in tact. Be sure to slice around the diameter of the bark where the line starts to pull it back evenly. Slide it back as if husking corn, leaving the bark hanging over the bottom.
Carve a trench in the exposed bark approximately 1/2 inch in length. Keep this trench shallow, as that will affect the depth of pitch of the whistle.
Carve a notch between the trench and the hole above the mouthpiece.
Dip the whistle in water, then pull the "husked bark" back over the whistle covering the trench.
Blow the whistle, and you should hear a barely audible high-pitched whistle.