Reply To: Speak Command = more than one bark!

[Caroline Yon Yon]

Thanks – that’s a good idea. I’ll give it a go. At the moment we’re working very hard at obedience. Quma (my Mali) is a certified drugs dog and excels at that work (she has a very good prey drive). Her only downside is that she wasn’t socialised properly as a youngster. I got her at just under a year old. She had spent a lot of time in kennels without much interaction. She is a bit head shy and has snapped (not badly but enough) at people who have approached her despite my asking them not to. The obedience work has really improved her confidence and the customs and police staff I work with have all commented at how much more relaxed she is. The police would like to develop her as a more general purpose dog. We have done some man trailing etc. which has gone well as she understands the hide and seek game well. She just stands or sits quietly though when she finds the hider. Where we live there isn’t too much call for chasing and bringing people down as such but a good public disorder dog who can bark convincingly and protect the handler if need be would fit it well. The bark is there, I think she just forgets to actually let it out……..it’s quite funny sometimes watching her snap her jaws like an alligator.