Making Mandy Bark

There are many ways to make my dog bark--first, tell her to find her ball.

"Where's your ball?"

And she'll run hither and thither searching, seeking, not finding, usually, or barking at the place where she can't get at it. If she comes back empty...

"Well? Where is it?" And that makes her bark a little more.

Then singing. I like to do this in the bathroom, where the acoustics are best...

And I start to howl...like a coyote...

She'll begin to howl with me, but if I stop, it turns into a sharp, high pitched yip, which is really seriously hard on the ears.

Next, is "Get the Kitty!" Which makes her take off after the cats. Of course, being a herding dog, she wants them to run to mommy (that would be me), but cats, being the superior life form in the household, simply hiss and stand their ground. Unmovable...makes for great fun for my husband and me, as she desperately tries to get them to move...and bark, bark, bark.

Then there's the next door neighbor dog. Mandy doesn't want another dog in her yard, and she guards her territory fiercely barking at, well, not just the dog next door, but any animal that ventures in...including birds and skunks...the former is harmless, the latter--not so fun what with the baking soda bath and all that...

But I digress....

Then, when she plays by herself--even in the dark of night...there is joyous barking because she either catches the ball/sock/toy in the air, or chases around her tail looking for the landing spot--not the sharpest tool in the box---

Of course, playing alone is fine until it wakes up one of the human occupants in the household.

But I'm trying to teach her to speak on command. I have been trying to teach her to bark when I WANT her to bark...for instance, when she wants outdoors, instead of licking my hand--to go to the door and bark. That way, there's no question about what she wants...right now, it could be "out, play, throw, run" or whatever sort of attention...

But tell her "speak" and she's completely silent on the matter.

I suppose silence is golden. Here's a treat!