Page 18 - Stories

Training your dog properly is an important part of owning and looking after a dog. By making sure your dog, whatever the breed, knows what is expected of them in terms of behaviour is the best way to ensure their and your safety, and the safety of other people and animals you may encounter in your day to day lives.

There are several basic commands that every dog should know, no matter their age or size, including sit, lie down, stay, come and wait. These basic commands are more about safety than anything else, and will help to ensure your dog is properly under your control at all times. Most people like to get these out of the way early on before teaching the more fun tricks such as give paw, roll over, and beg.

As a dog owner the chances are you use a whistle to facilitate their training, or have at least considered using one. They are a fantastically versatile tool that makes it easy to communicate with your dog clearly and over long distances, and the best part is that because dogs have

ACME Whistles, originally known under the name of founder Joseph Hudson, has been manufacturing whistles for more than 150 years and occupies a unique position in history. What started off small has grown to become a world-class company that is known for innovation and industry-leading ideas, and is going from strength to strength to this day.

We are proud of our manufacturing history and to have played an important role in some pivotal times for the UK, Europe and further afield. For example, our Metropolitan Police whistle is a true icon that had an impact on the development of modern policing, and the ACME Thunderer is widely used in many top level sports tournaments around the world.

These are just a few examples of the important yet often overlooked role that whistles have held over the course of recent history, forming part of the ACME Whistles story. One thing we are often asked about is the differences between our most popular whistles; more specifically, what the differences are

It seems that every year there are more reports of minor incidents taking place at airports and other aviation-related premises around the world. In part, this can be put down to changes in the ways that flights are handled since the global pandemic, especially in sectors that have seen a reduction in the available workforce. Issues such as reduced staffing levels have presented unique challenges that need to be addressed by those working in the sector.

There can be no denying that out of all the transport sectors, aviation is one of the most tightly and rigorously controlled in terms of health and safety. A lot is potentially at stake in an airport or airstrip including passengers, staff, and the aircraft and associated infrastructure. Aviation is also expensive, and stakeholders understandably want to make sure their investments are protected by ensuring operations are as safe as possible, something that is potentially hindered when staffing levels are less than desirable.

When it comes

Whistles are a wonderfully diverse tool that have almost unlimited applications. From sporting events to dog training, and from safety and survival to hunting and countryside pursuits, there is a beautifully engineered whistle to suit whatever activity you are engaged in. ACME covers all bases with our impressive and diverse range and we have forged a reputation for being the most trusted and well-known whistle maker in the world.

Our heritage spans more than 150 years, and to this day our whistles are manufactured at our UK-based factory by skilled craftspeople. While we produce a collection of contemporary whistles that are built for a modern age, some of our classics have been in production since the 1800s and are an enduring symbol of our founder Joseph Hudon’s innovations.

More than just whistles

A whistle by itself is generally a small but important piece of equipment. Due to their size and portability it is easier than you might think to lose them; so we have produced a complete

If there is one use for whistles that can be beneficial to a huge number of people it is their use as a safety or survival tool. Any outdoorsman, safety expert or search and rescue worker will tell you that a reliable, loud whistle can be the simplest yet most effective way to guarantee your safety in a range of situations.

Whether you need to use a loud safety whistle to signal for help, or simply use it as a tool to communicate with friends or team members over large distances or in noisy environments, they are an affordable addition to anyone’s outdoor or survival kit. They can very much make the crucial difference in an emergency situation.

In addition to our classic whistles, we have also engineered a contemporary range of safety and survival whistles that are perfect for ramblers, mountaineers, kayakers, boaters, and anyone else who may find themselves in challenging settings.

Building a safety or survival kit

When creating a safety or survival kit, the most important consideration

With an impressive 150-year pedigree, ACME is the number one manufacturer of beautiful, exceptional whistles in the world. Not only are our whistles reliable, gorgeously made and honed to perfection, many of them also have a fascinating history. For example, our Metropolitan police whistle has been an icon of policing in the United Kingdom since the Victorian era, and the ever-popular ACME Thunderer has called time on some of the most important World Cup football matches and sporting events in living memory.

Perhaps one of our more unusual yet enduring whistle designs is the boatswain’s (or bosun’s) whistle. This whistle has a sound unlike any other in the world, and is steeped in a rich history. In ancient times, similar whistles were used by the Greeks and Romans to convey orders to oarsmen aboard their vast galleys. The beauty of these piping whistles is that the sound was able to carry over the background noises aboard such vessels, allowing commands to be followed without confusion.

ACME whistles played an essential role in history. Police used whistles to call for backup from other officers before radios were invented. The military used whistles to communicate orders to soldiers in battle. Whistles could be heard over the noise of the battle, and the enemy couldn’t easily interpret the meaning of each call if they were to listen to the orders.

Since radio and other communication technologies are now much more common, service and police whistles are used less often in the field. Service and police whistles do, however, make great gifts for history, military or police enthusiasts, and they also have several practical modern-day applications. These applications include dog training, within scout groups, on the playground and during sporting events. Equally, many people choose to display police or military whistles as part of a memorabilia collection.

Police whistles

Whistles were vital for police officers in the late 1800s and throughout the 1900s until radios took over

Working dogs can make excellent pets, but they have slightly different and more demanding needs compared to dogs bred for companionship. Working dog breeds thrive when they have a job to do; all dogs were specifically bred to do a particular job at one point or another. Labradors were bred for retrieving fish, Jack Russels were bred for hunting rodents, and Cocker Spaniels were bred to flush out prey and retrieve it during a hunt.

Several of these breeds of dogs now live happily as pets since they no longer need to perform their duties. The working traits of many dogs have been diluted through breeding, and they are no longer considered working dogs. However, If you have chosen to adopt or buy a specific working dog from a breeder, they will come from a long line of working dogs, specifically bred for traits that allow them to do their job well. In this article, we take you through a few helpful tips you can use to train your working dog breed.

Working dogs need enrichment

Working dog breeds

If you are a train enthusiast then you will know better than anyone that trains, especially traditional locomotives, are known for their distinct sounds. Not only is there the delightfully rhythmic motion of the driving wheels, there are also the unique and unmistakable whistle sounds that are associated with steam powered engines. Even modern trains that are not steam powered will have something of the hypnotic ‘clickety-clack’ and rumbling sound.

In the old steam locomotive systems, whistles were used to signal to others the specific whereabouts of the train, as well as to communicate with drivers and technicians on board who may not be within earshot of one another. Train whistles are, therefore, not exactly vital on modern trains, but it is a familiar and instantly recognisable sound that we associate with locomotion to this day.

Part of our iconic range of whistles is locomotive-focused, and these very special whistles are highly popular with train enthusiasts, as well as for orchestral