We do a lot of hiking in the woods and there are a lot of critters around. Out in there we have a strict “no harassing the wildlife” policy. We love to hike with Chester and Gretel but want to leave the nature as untouched as possible for others to enjoy and to ensure dogs continue to be allowed in the future.
However, I admit to having a little different view when it comes to the back yard and developed City parks.
There is a squirrel that likes to use our fence as a freeway between his favorite barn and his favorite tree. Chester and Gretel go nuts when they see him and we let them bark and scratch at the fence until we we think our neighbors have reached their limit.
The park we often walk in by our house is very manicured but has several old, mature, squirrel-laden trees in them. Usually when Chester and Gretel spot them we shuffle on by until they stop chirping in a high-pitched tone. Occasionally though, I let them indulge their instincts and chase (with me running after them because I don’t let them off leash) the squirrels and “tree” them.
I have only let Chester and Gretel do this once or twice. The other day in the park we could smell spring in the air and the dogs were feeling extra spunky. I let them “tree” the squirrel and then Gretel the athlete surprised me by actually climbing the tree like a cat after them! At one point she was about two feet up the tree (ok…it was not vertical). I managed to snap these pictures while laughing.
Does your dog like to chase beasties?
Wow is that a recent picture? There is so much green! Makes me excited for that to start showing up! I don’t have any instances of Charlie climbing a tree, but recently we moved to a farm and now he occasionally gets surprised by the sight or sound of a cow, what a shock that is for him!
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Yeah…took it Monday. We had a very cold snap in January and then the weather turned temperate. The silly grass, trees and bulbs think it is spring around here already. I know I am ready for spring
Oh yes I love a good chase. And that tree climbing is very impressive.
Blessings,
Goose
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Gretel always surprises me with her athletic ability.
Look at her up that tree!! Too funny. These two chase critters whenever they get the chance. Which isn’t often. It’s kinda funny to see tiny Roxy chase a big jack rabbit, or a deer though.
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That would be totally funny to see Roxy chasing something 3 to a million times her size! I can picture her little butt scurrying through the bushes now
Oh, how I love a good chase…but I tend to ignore squirrels. Bunnies, egrets, the vultures soaring in the sky…all fair game. I have never climbed a tree before so I think that is quite impressive for a doggie.
Have a great weekend!
Oz
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Those other beasties sound more exotic and fun anyways
Wow, look at you Gretel, going right up that tree. Well done. Hope you got down all right. Great pictures. Hope all of you have a great day and a great week end.Take care.
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She would either slide down the trunk or jump off Parkour-style
Looks just like me! Mom lets us do that on our neighborhood walks or in parks, but out in the woods, not so much. I so want to catch a squirrel!
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I can telly my Gretel’s enthusiasm that she really wants too also
Absolutely!!!
While Maggie Mae I believe is a mix Dox, and not so inclined to actually catch, but will most certainly pursue critters, my since passed little “pumpkin”,Miss Molly would like crazy! Ginger Rose is my piebald 7 yr old purebred. She is a mouser through and through!!!! She catches, and they are history…..As far as the wild critters, she goes nuts….A bit off the subject, my main challenges are usually skate boards, motorized type childrens toys, bikes, golfcarts, and small utility vehicles!!!! They go nuts over the hums, the noises of the wheels!!! I hold on tight to their leashes….
We have a friend that is a real mouser too. He is always bringing his Daddy prezzies
One of my favorite dog training books suggested chasing squirrels with your dog as a fun activity. Worst advice I ever followed.
Maybe it works in a park or the country. But on my city street it led to squirrels dashing out into the street and Honey trying to follow. It took a while for me to retrain that one.
Love seeing Gretel, the tree- climbing doxie.
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That strikes me as a weird suggestion by a dog trainer. I would think they would condone “saving the wildlife”. I would certainly not let Chester or Gretel chase them anywhere near a street. If we do ever see one while out for a walk I hold tight and tell them to leave it. That works but I wonder if now, since I did let them chase the squirrels, it will be much less effective.
Wow pawsome tree climbing and we are always up for a good chase. Squirrels are the best! Have a fabulous Friday.
Best wishes Molly
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We know that you like to chase lots
Fierce, little Gretel! Good for you, letting them indulge their instincts every once in while! I find that the squirrels and other such critters are fair game when they continue to harass and laugh at our “badger dogs”! lol I never let them hurt the peanut gallery either, but it IS fun to watch it all!
Well, that is what I figure too – you have to let them do what comes naturally sometimes. The squirrel in this park get chased and barked at by dogs all of the time and they haven’t left yet
(not that I would want them too)
Hah, love that she climbed the tree after them. I bet your dogs would love to do Earthdog or Barn Hunt sometime. They would be total naturals!
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We are actually going to try EarthDog later this Spring. Two members of our Adventureweiner Club do it all of the time. Their parents said they would set up a course in their back yard so our members can give it a try.
Sometimes a little chasing is okay. Chester and Gretel are just doing what dogs do, after all. As long as there is no real danger to the animals, I think it can be okay to let them have fun every once in a while as a super special reward for good behaviour. Gretel looks like she was having the time of her life!
For some reason, Shiva has never acknowledged a squirrel’s existence. They have jumped out right in front of her and she barely moves. Birds, however, make her crazy! I haven’t done it for a long time, but sometimes we would pass an open field and it would be filled with gulls. If it was early enough and there was no one around, I would let her off the leash to chase them. There was no chance she would catch them – they can fly, after all – and it made her so happy. She always came right back afterwards as if to have me share in her success.
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Gretel goes extra crazy doe birds too! She has only had the opportunity to chase a few birds at the beach. She looks so disappointed when they fly out over the water
You should tell Gretel that Dachshunds were meant to go UNDERGROUND, not up trees! That’s so funny!!
Yes, my dogs would chase creatures. It’s their raison d’etre, being greyhounds! The problem with greyhounds chasing things is that often they’re fast enough to catch them, so we don’t encourage it.
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I think it would be funny to race Gretel and a Greyhound sometime. She IS really fast. I do imagine you have to be careful with a dog so speedy.
One summer a few years back, I couldn’t figure out why several dogs stayed at and watched a certain tree – till the baby squirrels poked their heads out of the hollow in said tree! They wisely never touched the ground in the yard but immediately learned to go from tree to tree, over wires, and up onto the roof
. Quite entertaining, but no one was agile as Gretel – my, she has a fierce “hunt mode.”
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She sure does. Her pupils dilate and she goes into this kind of focused trance. I had baby squirrels living in a tree outside my apartment once. Chester would act a little weird every time we went out to potty.
Oh yes, there are chipmunks in our yard that I swear live to tease Delilah. She will wait by the door, watching then when she sees them she amps herself up and goes tearing hell-bent after them.
Once there was a deer in my yard and I didn’t know it and I let them out. You can imagine what ensued.
I love the photo, they can really surprise us sometimes, no?
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Gretel surprises me all of the time. I am not sure she would know what to think of a deer though. She probably would just be confused
My five love to chase them in the yard. The squirrels are way to fast for them thankfully!
I think the urban squirrels know what they are doing and tease the dogs on purpose
Chasing squirrels is the best! Mom lets me run off leash in the park when no one’s around we have lots of big trees and squirrels. They are very tame because people feed them and always act surprised when they get chased. I almost caught one the other day it had no where to go! I suppose it isn’t nice to do but it sure is fun! Love Dolly
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I remember when we were in Key West and Buster wanted to chase the free-roaming chickens. OMG – he nearly dislocated my shoulder!
Wow! Nice skills climbing that tree!
When I saw the title of this blog post, I thought you were going to write something about how Camper (our cat) likes to come on your walks with Simon and Dolly (our doxies) each week. I swear Camper must’ve been a dog in a former life. It makes quite a scene when the neighbors see our mini-parade of two black and tan minis leading the way down the sidewalk with an orange tabby bringing up the rear.
I know – it is super cute when Camper follows us around. I haven’t seen him the past few weeks. He must have better things to do like chase the squirrels that live in the Cedar tree