Gun Dog Forum

Is mouseing a common trend for GSPs... She is almost 5 months old and very proud to point a mouse and will look at me while on point. Is this a common thing?
Thanks much.
BJGatley

You can add butterflies and bee's, grasshoppers, crickets..
My springer would just eat them...

My 6 yr old GSP still occasionally gets
Side tracked by mice, I know when he starts dropping his nose
That he is on a mouse, he doesn't point them anymore
Just does a few circles and leaves them alone.
Db

My in-laws had a GSP a few years back. They said she would unstuck their wood pile to catch mice.

She was completely untrained (I know this is different) and would also catch squierrels, rabbits, and crows.

Your post brought back some very funny memories.

I had a trial bred English Pointer(I got her for a hunting dog because she washed out) that would point and then dive in after mice until the day she died. Belle was with us until she was 12.

If there were birds around, she paid them no mind at all, but when there were no birds to be found, she would go mousing. It was hilarious to see this fifty plus pound female with her head stuck in a clump of lovegrass , locked up tight as a tick and then to see her dive in with her whole body chasing those little buggers.

My first dog was a dropper. We kept his feed in the garage and a rat would take up residence in the garage, living between the exterior sheathing and the interior fire retardant covering.( It was a flimsy flakeboard type product called Flintkote). He would stalk the garage, listening for movement and then pounce, busting through the FlintKote with his nose. About half the time, he came out with a rat. Even when he missed, if the rat took off out of the garage, it never made the neighbor's yard. Jack was pretty quick for a big dog.

Your dog is still a puppy. It is still figuring out what is what. As others have said, butterflies, grasshoppers, "bleep" birds of all shapes and descriptions and (unfortunately) snakes and turtles will get your youngster's attention. It is all good, because when the pup figures out what YOU are interested in, it will tend to focus on those species and leave the others alone, especially if you show no interest.

RayG

It is a never ending struggle between dogs and mice. If your favorite snack was out in a field, would you just walk by it?

and would also catch ... crows

would love to have her around. the crows squawking around here in the morning about drive you nuts

I swear my oldest GSP ( now 4yo) learned it from watching our cat. Just this past weekend, I was out trimming weeds near the barn and she was hanging around tilting her head at the wood pile and different tufts of grass. A field mouse shot out of one clump, she grabbed it, clamped her jaws around it just enough to take it out, tossed it up in the air, and watched as it fell to the ground. Certainly not the first time and definately won't be the last, I'm sure. She got bored duck hunting one time and found a muskrat. I turned around in the blind and it was hanging out both sides of her mouth! She had a look on her face, like "Is this a duck?!?"

Common , unless birds are available. In the dark, my setter likes to hide behind the large bird seed pail out side and wait for the mice to run the gauntlet. Few make it.

Thank you guys…I appreciate very much the responses and stories. I can now rest easy knowing that is part of the package. It’s comical to watch her go through the motions and then finally jump on the place where she was pointing. She’s a hoot.

Pepper wrote:Thank you guys…I appreciate very much the responses and stories. I can now rest easy knowing that is part of the package. It’s comical to watch her go through the motions and then finally jump on the place where she was pointing. She’s a hoot.

I thank you for bringing back to mind some funny and treasured memories. Jack is gone almost fifty years now and Belle is gone close to thirty but they can still make me smile. As long as they are remembered... it's all good.

Enjoy your youngster. Make lots of memories. The good memories last a long time and are there when you need them.

RayG

RayGubernat wrote:

Pepper wrote:Thank you guys…I appreciate very much the responses and stories. I can now rest easy knowing that is part of the package. It’s comical to watch her go through the motions and then finally jump on the place where she was pointing. She’s a hoot.

I thank you for bringing back to mind some funny and treasured memories. Jack is gone almost fifty years now and Belle is gone close to thirty but they can still make me smile. As long as they are remembered... it's all good.

Enjoy your youngster. Make lots of memories. The good memories last a long time and are there when you need them.

RayG

Will do...thanks.

Edit to post...changed due to do. Sorry folks...

RayGubernat wrote:

Pepper wrote:Thank you guys…I appreciate very much the responses and stories. I can now rest easy knowing that is part of the package. It’s comical to watch her go through the motions and then finally jump on the place where she was pointing. She’s a hoot.

I thank you for bringing back to mind some funny and treasured memories. Jack is gone almost fifty years now and Belle is gone close to thirty but they can still make me smile. As long as they are remembered... it's all good.

Enjoy your youngster. Make lots of memories. The good memories last a long time and are there when you need them.

RayG

Everyone should read this and realize this explains very clearly the most important part of hunting as well as your whole life. GREAT POST RAY

Mice, beetles, grasshoppers, butterflies, moths flying around the porch light. But his favorite seems to be houseflies. If there's one in the house, he's on it and he doesn't stop until he's caught it. Always a shake of the head once its caught to fling it from his mouth. Once they're on the ground, he will paw at it a time or two to ensure it's no longer alive and then looks at me as if to say, "see what I did for you".

He's better at catching the things than I am with a fly swatter.

Nothing grosses my wife out more than when the dog comes to the back door wanting in and has a mouse tail hanging out the front of her lips.