How to use it
- Check the sound is on with the 1 kHz test preset, at low volume.
- Pick a frequency, steady or pulsing. 17.3 kHz is the tone the DogQuiet app uses for its classic whistle.
- Point the speaker at the dog with nothing in between, ideally outdoors and a few metres away.
- Play one short burst when the barking starts, then reward or calmly call the dog in the quiet that follows. The pause is the useful part; repeating the sound over and over is not.
Can your speaker play it?
Often not all of it. Phone and laptop speakers are small and many lose volume fast above 15 to 18 kHz, so a 20 kHz tone may come out far quieter than the slider says, or not at all. Bluetooth headsets and car kits in hands-free mode cut everything above about 8 kHz. Since most adults can’t hear these tones either, silence doesn’t tell you whether the speaker is playing them.
The DogQuiet app has a Speaker check for exactly this: it plays a sweep, listens with the microphone and tells you which frequencies your speaker actually reproduces. In a browser, the honest test is your dog: if there is no reaction at any volume you are comfortable with, try a lower preset.
Is it really ultrasonic?
Not quite. “Ultrasonic” means above human hearing, roughly 20 kHz and up. Dogs hear to about 45 kHz, but ordinary speakers can’t play much above 20 kHz, so this is a high-frequency whistle at the very top of human hearing rather than true ultrasound. Children and teenagers may hear it clearly. For what the research says about these devices, read do ultrasonic bark deterrents work?
What it can’t do
- Stop barking on its own. At best it interrupts. It does nothing about why the dog barks.
- Get through walls or windows. High frequencies barely pass through glass, brick or doors.
- Keep working forever. Dogs get used to sounds they hear often, so use it sparingly.
- Help a frightened dog. Barking from fear, pain or being left alone needs a vet or a qualified behaviourist.
Safety
- Start at a low volume and raise it slowly. Each play stops on its own after the length you chose.
- Never use headphones or earbuds with this page.
- Cats, rabbits and other small pets hear high frequencies well, and so do many children. Mind who else is in earshot.
- If your dog hides, trembles or seems scared, stop using it.
If the barking is a neighbour’s dog behind a wall, a whistle will not reach it. A record will:count the barking and keep a bark diary.
Questions
Do online dog whistles work?
Sometimes, briefly. A sudden high-pitched sound can make a dog pause mid-bark, and that pause is useful if you reward the quiet or call the dog away. Many dogs react little or not at all, and most get used to a sound they hear often. On its own it does not change why a dog barks.
What frequency should I use?
There is no single best one. Dogs hear well above anything a phone or laptop speaker can play, so what matters more is whether your speaker reproduces the tone and how your dog responds. Try a few presets at low volume and watch.
Will it work on my neighbour’s dog through the wall?
No. Walls, closed windows and double glazing absorb high frequencies almost completely. A whistle needs a clear line of sight to the dog, and it works best outdoors within a few metres.
Why can’t I hear anything?
Most adults cannot hear much above 15 to 17 kHz, and that is normal. It is also possible your speaker cannot play the tone. Try the 1 kHz test preset to check the sound is on, then move up.
Is it safe for my dog?
At a sensible volume and in short bursts, it is meant to be an interruption, not a punishment. If your dog hides, trembles or seems scared, stop. Barking from fear, pain or being left alone needs a vet or a qualified behaviourist, not a sound.