Pet parents know better than anyone that our furry little friends are total pros when it comes to mind games. Some attempts are better than others, but they can be pretty sneaky with these tactics from time to time.
Although, sometimes… not so much. Take this hilarious scenario, for example. In this funny little video, we’re introduced to a Chocolate Lab named Bruce who puts on a truly Oscar-worthy performance at the end of his walk to let mom know he just can’t go on. Hey, he could’ve had me convinced! But mom clearly knows better. Take a look:
@freelance_amyYou don’t fool me Bruce! Does anyone elses dog do this? 😂 #dogsoftiktok #labrador #labradorsoftiktok #dogsvideo #relatable
I’m truly impressed with his approach here. That little bent paw certainly fooled me. In fact, I had to watch it a few times (and scroll through the comments) just to reassure myself that he was in fact just joking. In my mind, I was like, “What if he’s seriously hurt!?” But again, mom clearly knew this was just ploy to end the walk early. Still, I think he deserves a round of applause. Bravo, bud! Bravo.
Related: Rottweiler’s Oscar-Worthy Protest Over Having His Nails Clipped Is a Viral Gem
It’s sort of scary to know that some dogs have the power to manipulate us like this. But then you remember—they’re still dogs. And there was one comment that made this pretty clear: “My dog does this. Sometimes he forgets what paw hurts and switches between them.” Okay, okay. So I guess, for one, it is more common than I realized. And two, they’re clearly not always giving these attempts to manipulate us their full attention. Still funny!
Can dogs really fake injuries?
As smart and intuitive as dogs are, sometimes this means they can be quite mischievous as well. And if you’ve ever wondered if they can truly fake an injury, well you might be surprised that the most common answer is yes, they certainly can.
From things like limping to focusing intently on one specific paw; holding up one of their legs (Bruce, we’re looking at you!) to, at times, even yelping or whining, dogs will sometimes do whatever they think they have to do to get their way.
But the real question is how? How on earth did they figure this goofy behavior out?
Well, like many of the mysteries in the canine mind, it often stems from the fact that they’re extremely observant and have the power to learn things pretty quickly. They’re always watching us, whether we realize it or not, and their ability to pick up on our reactions to the things they do is pretty incredible.
So, if they’ve learned that certain behaviors equal certain results (or rather, reactions), they may simply learn to associate these things with the positive results that tend to follow, like extra love, attention, sympathy, treats—the list goes on.
Give them enough time to not only figure this out, but also test it on us (and usually succeed) and you can bet they’ll keep on trying it as often as possible. But keep in mind, this behavior is hardly natural—as in, dogs aren’t born with the sneaky skill to manipulate. Again, it’s just a result of them constantly observing us and the reactions (negative or positive) that they receive.
Sometimes it’s because they don’t want to go somewhere (the vet, groomers, etc.—they somehow always know), and other times it could be to avoid a bath, or, like Bruce, finish the end of a long, grueling walk.
The good news is, as pet parents, it’s usually pretty easy to recognize when they’re being fakers, but that said, they’ll win a few of these battles from time to time. All you can do is keep a close eye on them and go with your gut.
Otherwise, someone get Brucey here an agent. This dog is going places!
