so here's the story:

everynight, when i get home from work past midnight, i take cleo for a 1/2 hour to 45 minute walk. We do minimal obedience (healing across roads, stopping before blind intersections, etc) along the way to the park, where i let her "hunt" racoons, possums, and stray cats (which she never attacks if they stand their ground, but she is more than willing to chase and tree them if they run). In this hot S.Florida weather, it's good cool exercise, compared to the 100 degree days (and 90% humidity).

Anyway, last night she see's a stray and bolts thru someOnes back yard (which i almost never let her do, because i like to keep the "chasing" in the park where i can see the lay of the land and recall her).

Anyway, she doesn't come out to back-scent the trail like normal (within 5 seconds)....so i give her another 10 seconds and i give her a whistle.....no reply...no noise.

After another 10 seconds i'm getting nervous...this time a two finger whistle...and loud....still no reply.

Another 10 seconds and i'm really starting to worry. I really don't wan't to start wandering into peoples back yards at 1:00am in S.Florida- it's a really good way to get shot, but its not like i'm gonna leave without my dog either.

So i wander in where i saw her disappear, and i find an open gate to someOnes back yard....i circle around the back of the house..and there she is, clutching for dear life on to the coping of a pool on the deep end. Needless to say...scared the living shit out of me. I hauled her out and to the park we went.

So here's my (first) question....How do i train her to bark (once or twice) on command for me to get a "location" on her. She is a very quiet dog, and only barks when the helper comes to agitate, and then she is VERY vocal. I just can't seem to wrap my head around a way to do this. Any help would be appreciated.

Next question....tonight i noticed her licking her rear foot. And not the kinda licking a dog does to clean itself. She was doting on it like it was wounded. So i got a flashlight and inspected her feet. I was amazed that about 4 of her nails were worn down almost to the halfway point, and the one she was doting on was worn into the skin underneath. So i started thinking....and the 4 nails that were worn were on her hind quarters, and it hit me that while she was clinging to the edge of the pool for a half minute, she was trying to climb out with her rear legs and wore the nails down.

Anything i should do for those nails, or should i just let them heal by themselves ?

Teaching your dog to bark isn't going to work if the dog is in a panic situation. sounds like she was.

how about for "non-panic" situations ?

and about those nails ...?

Nails should heal on their own pretty quick. They can wear them down pretty quick in that kind of situation.

The dog can be taught to bark with anything you wish. A whistle, a word, a movement, anything. Does the dog bark when you feed it, ring the door bell? With anything that brings out a bark, just mark and reward it. Once the dog understands this, you can transfer your own command, etc.
Ditto on the nails what Kathleen said.
I've had working terriers wear their nails off in concrete drains. They grow back. Just watch for any sign of infection.

thanks, to both of you for the replies.

 Quote: old earth dog bob scott

... Does the dog bark when you feed it, ring the door bell? With anything that brings out a bark, just mark and reward it.

just the crack of the agitators whip, and occasionally if she hears a racoon walking on the roof. It's not much to work with, but maybe i can come up with a mechanical way to simulate "scratching footstep sounds" on the roof.

Here is a quick idea.

Get some treats and get your dog all exsited wave them around so he knows there there and then when he sits in front of you (he should be looking at you and the treats) and just is waiting for the treats start giving him what ever command you want for him to sound off. He of course isent going to know what your talking about but eventualy if you wait him out he should start barking, and after he gives you that first loud bark (no reward for whining) give him a treat and lots of praise.


Now you are going to repeat this until he starts to understand. next your going to have to do it with out him seeing the treats. So give him a brake and then try and give him the command for sounding off again, he probably wont do it at first but give him the command a few times and wait a bit, it might come back to him. Once it does reward him after 3 barks and give him lots of praise. If not go back to step one.


Ok lets say your dog did great with both of these steps on day one, day two you might have to repeat them but he should be faster. The next thing you are going to have to do is when your dog is out playing then give the command and see if he does it when you are not right next to him. If he keeps running back to and then barking i would back tie him to a tree and then give him the command for location.


Like Old earth dog Bob Scott said i dont see this working in a panic situation or even when your dog is giving chase to a animal but it is a nice trick and one of those things that could come in real handy once.

I have never trained my dog this so i am not sure if this would be the best way but its what i thought of first. It deffently will take some time to teach him this.

I have a similar problem, where my dog is not much of a barker. Even with the helper, she still has not barked, she whines like craz but will not bark. The only time she barks is when she's hungry. Then, I make her bark her a$$ off before she get's fed. We are to the point where we do a mini obedience session before each meal. I'm pretty sure she understands what it means now because when I have her bowl in my hand and say "bark" she does it and LOUD. Now if I can only get that onto the field. Let me know Anton how your dog progresses...Good luck

Michael and Alex: thanx for the replies,....
but i am ashamed to say,....my dog has the LOWEST food drive of any living organism i have ever seen. I recently started her on RAW diet because she was holding out 3 days between feedings. I had tried her on dozens of dog foods and the only way i had been able to get her to eat is to mix in the cut ends of the chicken bones (and rice) on the two nights a week our family eats chicken (and of course occasionally pork bone or steak bone). Even on RAW, she eats like she resents it. I have literally seen her turn away from steak and pork bones after having not eaten for days.Amazingly, she is not thin, and (i think) pretty muscular.

The only thing that puts her into drive (makes her whine, ears_up, alert, excited) is the opportunity to A.)play with another dog and B.)chase prey.

I have used the next door neighbors puppy to get her to play tug with me (i offer the tug, if she's uninterested i tie her and play tug with the puppy in her view) and gotten her to whine, but not bark. It sure got her to play tug though.

well you can replace treats with what ever you want, ball, kong. What ever works realy.

Anyhow it was just a thought.