I'm trying to work on this with Kipp. He is a very quiet dog - on a noisy day he may bark once.

I've been trying to tease him with his ball (he now loves it - gets hyper when I bring it out, will hunt through the snow for it, etc) but so far it hasn't worked. The other day I had him tied up while playing ball with my other dog in front of him, and the most I could get was a whimper.

Does anyone have any hints on teaching this? Is it something I just keep at it and eventually it will work? Right now he barks (once or twice) if he sees a cat walk past his outdoor kennel, or if he's crated and needs to go out. But that's about it.

I've got about a month before I'm able to start attending SAR training, but I've met with the group once. They gave me a list of things he should be able to do before I begin SAR training with him, so right now I'm trying to work on the things I can teach at home on my own.

Different things work for different dogs. There's no "right" way to do it really. The typical method is to frustrate the dog with his toy while he's back-tied and then reward him for any noise he makes. Its best to do this with a harness so the collar doesn't choke him. Soon the whining will turn into barks as you ask for more substantial noise from the dog in order for him to get the toy. This works most of the time. However, there are some dogs that this won't work for. I've seen some dogs get so excited by this method that they can't bark. They'll jump and leap at the end of the line forever without making any worthwhile noise.

Another thing you can try is putting a barrier between the dog and the toy. You can frustrate the dog with the toy and then put it under a milk crate. Hold the milk crate down with your foot and push it over when the dog barks. Some dogs will dig/bite at the milk crate so you have to be a little careful that teeth don't get broken and toenails don't get caught.

A third method is to put the toy in an elevated position out of reach (hanging from a tree branch). You can release the toy when the dog barks.

Sometimes none of these things work and you have to think a little outside of the box. My most recent SAR dog in training learned to bark while back-tied, but then wouldn't bark unless back-tied (he would just claw the helper - or anything between him and the helper - to pieces for the toy). One day he was playing in the dog yard with his indestructible ball toy. He would jump on it, it would roll and he would bark at it. I went out there, put my foot on the ball and rolled it a little. He barked and I said "speak" while releasing the ball and kicked it around the yard with him. We did a few repeats of that and the problem was solved.

Are you training a straight bark alert or a re-find where the dog barks at you to alert?

I feel your pain Mara. My GSD is not a barker and sometimes it's really irksome. Other times it's a blessing. That said, here's what I did...

I first taught him geblaut (speak) while he was stationary in front of me (sitting or standing). I used treats but I later switched to the ball and that might be what would work better for you. My dog whimpered too in the beginning and I think the trick is to praise him for that. I withheld the treat but praised him for the whimpering because at least it gave him a clue that he was on the right track. So, tons of "Good boy Gunnar, gelbaut" even if he cried. He eventually got out the bark and that was when I gave him the treat. The treat was always in my hand but I did not give it to him unless a bark came out.

Once this command was 2nd nature for him, I introduced it during play time. You might want to introduce the play time in the beginning though. Is your dog treat oriented?

With play: he had to follow a command and then I'd throw the ball. That became his reward instead of getting treats. He loved it by the way. So, among other commands, I'd say geblaut and the moment he barked I threw the ball. He'd return with the ball and I'd do another command. Etc. If he doesn't follow the command, I go inside and the game is over. That happened about 3 times in the beginning and he quickly figured out, I better listen carefully. So I always started out with easy things for him and ended with easy things because at the end, he was usually tired and I didn't want to end the session on a down note.

I think the key for you would be to praise him for the whimpers or the cries if he doesn't get out a full blown bark. That is what worked for me. Hope this is what you were looking for .

Thanks for the replies. I'll keep at it and try something a little different and see if that helps. He is food motivated, so maybe that will help. Kipp bounces up and down like a kangaroo to get his ball -it's like he tries to DO something instead of saying something to get it.

Konnie, from what I saw when I attended the training session, I think it is a straight bark alert - dog found victim, barked, was rewarded by victim with a tug toy.

The more I get into this, the more it feels like a good fit for me. When I went to meet up with the SAR group, my first impression was "I could really get into this". I'm going through a first responder course now and am a bit surprised at how much I'm enjoying that as well.

If its a straight bark alert, then you definitely want to make sure you teach him to bark without the jumping or other nonsense behaviors. It can be annoying (and possibly dangerous to an injured victim) when a dog alerts at the victim by leaping around and barking. Keep this in mind when rewarding his bark. If you can find a way to get him to bark (and then reward the bark) without the leaping - do it.

Keep us posted on the progress!

 Quote: mara jessup

The more I get into this, the more it feels like a good fit for me. When I went to meet up with the SAR group, my first impression was "I could really get into this". I'm going through a first responder course now and am a bit surprised at how much I'm enjoying that as well.

Uh oh, sounds like you're hooked!

If your dog verbally alerts when someone comes to your door, it is simple to use that as the marker, then add your verbal cue, to get him to bark on command.

 Quote: susan tuck

If your dog verbally alerts when someone comes to your door, it is simple to use that as the marker, then add your verbal cue, to get him to bark on command.

I'm not sure I would use this method to train a bark alert for SAR. The dog's frame of mind while barking is important. If your dog alerts to someone at the door by barking aggressively (either through fear or territorial behavior), then I wouldn't use this method. You don't want a dog barking at a victim in this frame of mind.

It doesn't because the dog learns he is getting the reward for barking, not for being aggressive. If the dog alerts when someone knocks on the door, you knock on the wall/door, at the same time giving verbal cue, dog barks, give reward. Easy peasy!

 Quote: susan tuck

It doesn't because the dog learns he is getting the reward for barking, not for being aggressive. If the dog alerts when someone knocks on the door, you knock on the wall/door, at the same time giving verbal cue, dog barks, give reward. Easy peasy!

I still disagree Susan. By what mechanism does the dog know or "learn" it is being rewarded for barking vs. being aggressive? This is the same as rewarding a dog for the actions of barking while jumping. The dog will continue to jump and bark because it thinks its being rewarded for both. That is, unless you manage to reward the bark when the jumping isn't present.

Have you trained a SAR dog for a bark alert using this method before?

I have used this method for teaching service dogs & therapy dogs, but no SAR dogs; however, I'm sure you will agree no one wants an aggressive therapy dog! The mechanism is I know the sound of the knocking is what triggers the response. Try is before you knock it (haha)! I don't do it with a stranger at the door. It is similar to Pavlovs' bell which triggers drooling not hunger.