Gun Dog Forum

Is it common for a dog to quiver and shake with so much excitement when they see birds? My female GSP goes bizerk when I let my pigeons out to fly. She barks and whines and will chase them around in circles until they land back at the loft. She will just stare at the loft for hours shaking if I let her. I understand the enthusiasm for birds, and I'm not complaining, but that much? She does the same in the field, but will hold point for a shot. I have to stop her to rest.

Age? sounds like a young dog to me... It's breed in all sporting dogs with good genetics...

She is a little over 2 yrs. She has been like that since introduction to birds. I've watched her jump 6' in the air to try and snag a pigeon coming back to the loft.

Totally normal. At 3 years old my GWP still quivers. If she scents a bird she is steady, very intense but not shaking, if she can see the bird she shakes like a leaf.

The desire to go is a good thing, but it does need to be controlled, you don’t want a vibrating whiny dog in a duck blind as an example.

Lots of times I will toss the pigeons right as I leave for an evening walk if I time it right the birds will be staging on the roof of the house before trapping. So I will whoa him in the yard and have him watch them all trap before he is released.

As he has matured he is more apt to ignore them but sometimes he still chases around as they circle yard or sit there watching them trying to figure out how he is going to get them off of a 2 story roof.

He might need some more of the pigeon on a string drill.

Quivering is one thing but barking and whining? I think I'd be nipping that in the bud real quick

I missed the barking and whining part... yeah, that needs to get stopped!

She doesn't bark or whine on point or during a hunt. She only does it when my pigeons are in flight and she is running underneath them around the yard.

She doesn't bark or whine on point or during a hunt. She only does it when my pigeons are in flight and she is running underneath them around the yard. I mispoke about her doing it while hunting.

Shaking before a hunt is normal. My dog does before I release him for the hunt or if we are at the river and he wants to swim. It's just the adrenaline and excitement. Barks and whining at birds I haven't dealt with fortunately.