[RKDinOKC]

Careful with the discouraging barking thing. After I had Pepper stay for a week with a trainer while i was on vacation she is reluctant to make any sounds. Have really had to coax her to get her started again so she will ask. Now she is getting pretty good at coming to my and very plainly saying I want out. Especially if I am asleep and she needs to go out.

I try to use the theory of dog training I learned when my friend got a Blue Healer back in HS. He had a training book written by the guy that trained most of the animals used in Disney films back then. His main thing was if a dog had a behavior you didn't want, train the dog to do it on command. Then the dog tends to not do it unless commanded to!

This was especially apparent when trying to keep my dogs from digging up the yard. Typically go out with a shovel and pic a place and turn it over with the shovel to get the top loose. Then I command the dog to dig. I've even buried treats and toys to encourage digging while giving the command. After not long I could just go point somewhere and tell the dog to dig. Amazingly the random holes quit appearing in the yard.

The only exception to this with Camber was the neighbor Dalmatian taught her do dig up toads. Ever once in a while in the spring there would be a couple of places she would dig a hole a little over a foot deep. When I checked it out there would be a toad in the bottom of the hole!

Pepper is still digging up every bug, grass snake, etc. in the yard. Most times she is just making divots, but need to work on it.

The way I was training her to not go nuts barking was to work on the speak command. Then when she barks at someone or something I say speak and good girl while she is barking. Then after a couple of barks after I say speak and the good girl I tell her that's enough and hush. When she stops I praise her, then after a few minutes I go thru the speak and that's enough thing. Get where the that's enough works pretty good without completely discouraging speaking.