Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs I think I screwed up bad

Well damn,
Yesterday I nailed a grey squirrel in my back yard as I've done many times through the years...My two French Brittanys go bull chit with barking so.......

Long story short: I left the squirrel in the crotch of the tree and the dogs were in their kennel. I forgot about the tree rat only to realize several hours later that I'd let the dogs out of the kennel and went on a bike ride. When I came home the squirrel was gone. Not a trace of it anywhere so I know one or more likely both dogs jumped high enough to grab the tree rat.

I'm about to go out to clean the kennel and will soon see the scat. Now, to find out if my great pointers-retrievers will do the same with birds. Chit

Probably not with birds, but you'll have two great squirrel dogs.......

Just kidding. Chances are, won't make a difference. It was a DEAD squirrel. JMO, Dutch.

I wouldn't worry about it.....unless they start pointing trees.

But seriously, I wouldn't give it a thought.

Why not train them to retrieve squirrel, I had Drathaar (German WireHair) trained on retrieving squirrel, rabbit, etc. fur & feather both. I realize unless you have a need for retrieve of fur best not to train it, but I agree, wouldn't worry. I had to train each different bird & fur that he picked up, then he learned some others with age. (Force retrieve) squirrel, rabbit, quail, pheasant, duck, geese, some of course where pretty natural, used him most on feather but he really seemed to like fur as well.

Sig

Nice dog!

Yea, retrieving a tree rat is no different that any other retrieve......wrong ! Unless the squirrel is dead, dead, dead when it comes to the ground. It has to be 100% dead or this could happen.

I have one family pet that's a French Brit reject for reasons not worth going into here except to say one of her big problems was not having enough 'hunt' in her. To try to light her hunting fire I let her retrieve a few squirrels that I'd brained. Good show until one squirrel bit her after taking a lethal chest shot but still alive. From then on she developed a mouth like an aligator. Quail, chukars and huns are made into mush if she retrieves them. My other French Brit is put in the kennel when the air rifle comes out. And it's brain shots only on squirrels if you don't want to ruin your dog.

Yeah a biting squirell could cause a "make sure it is dead" retrieve. I used to train Sigfried with retrieve of balloons about size of softball to learn not to bite too hard or they would pop; but even then in his old age (my fault for not keeping him tuned) he got a little hard mouth.

Thanks Nebraska. Would take another just like him.

Siggy