Homestead forum diaspora

Our family recently came to include a Rat Terrier pup named Baily. We brought her with us on our week long trip to Northern Iowa, as we are house training her (she's four months old). It's really cold (-25 wind chill one day) so she doesn't much like to go out side but she does. Grandma has a cadre of obese squirrels that she keeps off the bird feeders with copious ammounts of field corn on the cob nailed to some nearby trees. 

Rat terriers can be- and are - used as squirrel hunting dogs. Baily is nose to the ground as soon as she gets out there, and walks those squirrel trails all around the yard - she's chased squirrels up the trees and telephone poles all around the house, so she knows what she's smelling and she's psyched to chase them.

She doesn't bark though - she barely barks at all, she points.

 Not sure what to do with that.

 Anyway, the training shall continue. I'm going to try to get some squirrels next week and tie the tails to tennis balls and get her used to shasing them. Maybe tie one on a rope so I can drag it across the ground and then up in a tree, then fire a cap gun (part of the process to ensure she isn't gun shy, gradually going from caps, to 22, up to shotguns) and let it drop back down to the ground and let her get it.

 It will be a learning process for us both.

I wouldn't complain about a lack of barking...I see that as a blessing...

Its sort of a requirement for a dog meant to tree game.

Well, she is still a pup and the barking may follow.  If not, you can teach it to her.

Be interesting to follow your progress. Our 5 month old Jack Russell will hopefully thin the squirrell population here as well!! They are in the ceilings and that can't continue!

Brandy is a year old and is only now finding her voice.

Hunting coon, a silent hound was a blessing [faster treeing] as long as you has a second dog to tell you where the first was.

Keep us posted