A buen árbol te arrimas…

Google images, «Bark up the wrong tree»

Meaning:

We bark up the wrong tree when we select the wrong person to ask for a favor or when we direct our efforts in the wrong direction.

Google images, «Bark up the wrong tree»

Origin:

During the colonial times in America, raccoon hunters used to go accompanied by trained dogs which chased the preys around the forest. When the raccoons climbed up into a tree, the dogs stayed below barking up so as to tell the hunters, “Here it is”. But sometimes they didn’t notice that the animal had already escaped by jumping into a nearby tree. When the hunters arrived and saw no raccoon, they said that the dog had been barking up the wrong tree.

Google images, «Bark up the wrong tree»

Example:

Google images, «Bark up the wrong tree»