What does my dog want me to do when he barks up a tree at a squirrel?

[MNSEN]

Just that really. I'm very curious as to whether he is saying 'Get down here you tiny lunchable, I want to bathe in your blood' or 'Alert! Alert! I have found our pack a rich feast!' Is he talking to me or the squirrel?

He's a 10mo GR if that helps. Squirrel obsessed. Obviously what I actually do is get him to leave it and come with me on our nice walk and let everyone enjoy the peace and quiet - not least the squirrel - but I am just trying to understand where he is coming from IYSWIM?

[Bornin1989]

Mine is a lurcher x Belgian malinois and he too goes absolutely bananas at squirrels - it's the same bark he reserves for fetch.

Incredibly high pitched, over excited yapping/almost screaming. I've interpreted it as: "I want it, no, I NEED it, please please please, oh golly gosh I am so excited, let me chase it!!!!".

[GertrudeKerfuffle]

Oh Spuddog

[Spudlet]

[quote FudgeFlake]@Spudlet Spuddog wins the Twitdog prize![/quote]
All his life

[MNSEN]

OMG that photo

I'm so glad it's not just me!

[CrazyBaubles]

Mine is a terrier but has no interest in hunting whatsoever. He usually barks while running between 'it' (squirrel / rabbit / cat / bird) and me so I'm 99% sure he's saying "look owner lady, it's over there. Look look. Exciting. Look' over and and over and over again 🙄

[alloalloallo]

I have a Springer and I think she’s barking at the squirrel to come down so she can chase it.

She also looks at me as if I’m supposed to go and join in.

She just likes the chase. She did corner one once and just kind of stood and barked at it until I dragged her away. Squirrel just looked slightly bemused by the whole encounter

[FudgeFlake]

@Spudlet Spuddog wins the Twitdog prize!

[Herecomesspring1]

@OhDear2200 hahahah! [GRIN]

[Spudlet]

Aha!

[Spudlet]

So would I - I don’t know where it ended up, sadly! I might just have another hunt for it. It sums up Spuddog’s attitude to life very well - go for it hard, the humans will pick up the pieces…

[GertrudeKerfuffle]

@Spudlet

Dear old Spuddog didn’t bark at squirrels, but he chased one up a tree once, and got stuck. There is an excellent picture of my DH and DStepdad trying to lift the daft bugger down. Both over 6 feet tall (DStepdad is 6’7!) and they could only just get him…

I'd love to see that picture

[GertrudeKerfuffle]

@MNSEN "tiny lunchable"

With my dearly departed whippet, I'm sure the barking was the age-old howl of the frustrated hunter, probably made up of the worst kind of swearing. He did once catch a squirrel and got upset that it was dead and he could no longer chase it. It wouldn't have been so bad if he'd actually eaten it, but why would he do that when he had me make his tea for him

The new whippet is only four months old and doesn't get it yet. It's only a matter of time before he's got his long snout pointed up the trees and starts rolling round in fox shit for laughs.

[Spudlet]

Dear old Spuddog didn’t bark at squirrels, but he chased one up a tree once, and got stuck. There is an excellent picture of my DH and DStepdad trying to lift the daft bugger down. Both over 6 feet tall (DStepdad is 6’7!) and they could only just get him…

[YanTanTethera123]

@Hoppinggreen

I have a Goldie
Yours is saying “get down here so I can show you who’s boss”
While thinking “ please don’t come near me or I will have to hide behind my Mum”

This ^^ for sure! YanTanpup is all mouth and no trousers bless her! She does, however, use the same bark to get us to retrieve her ball from under the sofa/armchair/fresher etc so possibly she’s expecting me or DH to collect the squirrel for her!
🙄😆

[MNSEN]

@MaryLennoxsScowl

Mine is in the I WANT IT! MAKE IT COME DOWN! category. He gets so excited he bites the tree. He also remembers every tree that once held a squirrel and runs up to stare intently into the branches every time we pass them.

Yes mine does this. It's clear he feels we are on Squirrel Patrol every morning and evening.

I'd just like it if he would explain my role more fully

[Reallybadidea]

I love this thread! We don't have many squirrels around here, but my territorial terrier spends 90% of his time guarding the garden from wood pigeons that have the temerity to sit on the fence. He's very definitely saying "get orf moi laaand"

[MaryLennoxsScowl]

Mine is in the I WANT IT! MAKE IT COME DOWN! category. He gets so excited he bites the tree. He also remembers every tree that once held a squirrel and runs up to stare intently into the branches every time we pass them.

[Chemenger]

My DD used to walk the laziest Samoyed in the world (most of the time it was more like dragging the laziest Samoyed in the world). The only thing that got him moving was squirrels. There are a lot of squirrels in Boston where we lived at the time. He didn’t bother barking at them that much (too much effort) but one day he barked at a baby squirrel as it climbed a tree and it actually did fall off and he caught it in midair so I think that’s why dogs bark at squirrels. Because they know that it once did work for one of them somewhere. I’ve no idea why he always barked at cars when we waited to cross the road though.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

I know for a fact that mine stand at the bottom of the tree shouting 'Die, you cheating scum, die!'

[Maggiesgirl]

I want to know why my DDog stands looking at me in disgust when I open the door for her to go out and its pouring. I have tried to tell her I cannot turn the rain off. I dont have a switch. Instead, she glares at me and goes and sits with her back to me, occasionally glaring over her shoulder at me, just to remind me I didn't turn it off.

God I have known toddlers that don't sulk with as much drama as a staffy.

[FlyingFlamingo]

Not a dog but my cat has a toy squirrel that she likes to present to me in the middle of the night with a large meow, I think she is saying ‘look what I have caught for you! Praise my hunting skills and bravery for I am a master hunter!’
I don’t, I ignore her and go back to sleep

[Kayjay2018]

@MNSEN squirrels must think my Doberman is on drugs or something, as she spots a squirrel up a tree and gets so excited she has zoonoses and runs in the opposite direction as if she can't hold the excitement in 🤣

[ApolloandDaphne]

My Labrador sees so many squirrels she has stopped caring about them. Same with rabbits, pheasants and deer. A fox is a different matter however. She has a special bark just for foxes. I think it says 'you smell so good I must chase you right now even though I have dodgy knees and you will out run me'.

[rantymcrantface66]

She's a Jack Russell btw. I do think a terrier would be saying different things to a retriever and a lurcher/greyhound something different again

[rantymcrantface66]

Mine is saying 'run some more little squirrel so I can chase you'. I know from the same reaction to a cat that stands it's ground and the odd startled rabbit or overly brave or distracted pigeon that her prey drive starts and ends with the chase.