My mother had a whistle all her own when I was growing up. It was more a come-here whistle that started by sounding and then rising, and then falling a couple of notes. It was a pleasant whistle, so I adopted it as my own. My dog, aptly named Corndog, comes to this whistle.
Once my mother heard me use her whistle to call my dog and announced that that whistle was her grandfather's and that he had used it to call his horses. Who knew? I wonder where he got it?
What is most interesting to me about this whistle is that my partner has heard me use this for 15 years and still can't replicate it. She adds too many falling notes and confuses my dog...