How do you interpret " Barking up the wrong tree " anyone know how it came about?

Question

garylee ,this is a matter of opinion and nothing to do with either my age nor intelligence. I shall treat your reply with the contempt which it deserves. For the benefit of the tape this is a statement and observation , not a rant.. I do of course have my own interpretation but am glad of other opinions. Thankyou nice people

Answer 1

Americans have coined entire expressions as well as individual words. At first bark up the wrong tree meant exactly what it said, the bark being that of a hunting dog pointing at the wrong tree. In Americanisms Old and New (1889), John S. Farmer explains, "The Western huntsman found that his prey gradually became more and more wily and cunning in eluding pursuit, and frequently he and his dogs were at fault, supposing they had 'treed' their game when in reality, especially in the case of opossums and squirrels and such-like animals, it had escaped by jumping from the boughs of one tree to another."

But we have found the expression useful even when there are no hunters, trees, or barking dogs involved. In 1832, we encounter it in James Hall's Legends of the West: "It doesn't take a Philadelphia lawyer to tell that the man who serves the master one day, and the enemy six, has just six chances out of seven to go to the devil. You are barking up the wrong tree, Johnson."

Davy Crockett seems to have been fond of the phrase. In the Sketches and Eccentricities of Col. David Crockett, of West Tennessee (1833), we find, "I told him...that he reminded me of the meanest thing on God's earth, an old coon dog, barking up the wrong tree." And A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett, published a year later, contains the sentence, "I began to think I was barking up the wrong tree again." The 1836 story of Colonel Crockett in Texas includes the remark, "Job, little dreaming that he was barking up the wrong tree, shoved along another bottle."

To bark up the wrong tree basically means "to follow an incorrect assumption." Two other related expressions are also American: be all wet (1792) and fire into the wrong flock (1848).

Answer 2

The suggestion of an obedience class is an excellent one. Read here https://tr.im/H3J67
It will help your dog learn to behave around other dogs, and help keep your training moving forward as you'll want to be prepared for the next class. Also, a good instructor can be a wonderful resource, someone to help you with any questions or concerns about your dog. Leash training can take a LOT of time and patience, depending upon the dog. I'm not sure what you mean by 'horrible on a leash' but my basic suggestion is that you take a lot of yummy treats with you on walks. When your dog behaves well on the leash (not pulling) praise her and give her treats. Change direction a lot so that she learns to pay attention to YOU and where you are going. It's also helpful to teach a "Watch Me" command such that whenever your dog looks at you you praise her and give her a treat. About chewing, yes a Kong is a great chew toy. Some dogs also like Nylabone brand bones. I suggest also teaching a "Leave It" command. You use this when she shows interest in chewing on something she shouldn't. Then immediately give her something she is allowed to chew, such as the Kong stuffed with somethig yummy. This same command will be helpful on walks when she wants to sniff or eat something she shouldn't. Again, when she does leave the item alone, be sure to give lots of praise. I would look into an obedience class right away. I think that you'll find that a good obedience class can help enormously! Good luck and enjoy your new dog.

Answer 3

Meaning

Making a mistake or a false assumption in something you are trying to achieve.

Origin

The allusion is to hunting dogs barking at the bottom of trees where they mistakenly think their quarry is hiding.

The earliest known printed citation is inmJames Kirke Paulding's Westward Ho!, 1832:

"Here he made a note in his book, and I begun to smoke him for one of those fellows that drive a sort of a trade of making books about old Kentuck and the western country: so I thought I'd set him barking up the wrong tree a little, and I told him some stories that were enough to set the Mississippi a-fire; but he put them all down in his book."

The phrase must have caught on in the USA quickly after Hall's book. It appeared in several American newspapers throughout the 1830s. For example, this piece from the Gettysburg newspaper The Adams Sentinel, March 1834:

"Gineral you are barkin' up the wrong tree this time, for I jest see that rackoon jump to the next tree, and afore this he is a mile off in the woods.

Answer 4

If a dog is chasing you.. you run away, if theres a tree near by, your only chance of safety you climb it, yet the dog will still be trying to get to you..

now change that into a daily life..

if someones going on at you, backs you into a corner, saying youve done something you obviously havent yet they carry on coming after you..

they are barking up the wrong tree> their mithering the wrong person

Answer 5

From what I remember, if a dog chases a squirrel and the squirrel runs up a tree...the dog is helpless. Since he can't climb a tree, all he can do is bark at the squirrel to scare him for walking in his yard.

But, if the squirrel goes up one tree and the dog goes to another tree, it is useless for him to bark since the squirrel is somewhere else and won't care. If he barks up the wrong tree, he is not getting his point across. He is hollering for nothing.

Answer 6

I would think it came from when men used to hunt raccoons with dogs and the raccoon would run up a tree. Perhaps some of the dogs weren't the brightest and barked up the wrong tree....hence...."barking up the wrong tree" means you're looking in the wrong place.

That's just how I think it came about....but I could be wrong.

Answer 7

yes, barked up and down the wrong tree

Answer 8

Dunno,was gonna google it but I wont bother now,just here for the thumbs down for people who like to be soooo rude hiding behind a computer screen,I may even click the small box that says''report it'' as name calling is clearly stated in the rule book as not allowed.When I receive rude replies I politely ask the user to go talk with their mom,and throw the abuse on her,for giving birth to them,oh poor woman,watta mistaka to maka !

Answer 9

Making a mistake...must have come about by some yahoo watching a dog bark up the wrong tree..

Answer 10

a dog hunting for game, only the game is not in the tree he is barking "up". You are on the wrong track.