Manipulative Dogs...

[Simply Grand]

There's a thread in Puppy Problems from someone asking for tips about their 5 month old Mini Poodle puppy. I commented that Poodles are excellent at manipulating humans if you let them. Saxon, my Toy Poodle x, is a master at it.

I like to think he doesn't get away with too much with me, although I'm sure there are things I do without realising, but his ability to manipulate other people particularly at the dog park is amazing. I'm sure it helps that he's small and fluffy and looks like a teddy bear, but he seriously uses it to his full advantage and has a whole routine worked out.

Step 1 - He goes over to each new person he sees and investigates whether they have treats. They usually think "oh the cute little dog is coming to say hello" and go to pat him, but if he doesn't detect any treats he'll just turn around and walk off. So rude If he does detect treats he will stand up on his hind legs (which he can now hold for at least 30 secs and I'm sure longer) and give a happy smiley face with his tongue out.

Usually by now I've already called out "Saxon there's no treats for you" etc etc. The usual reaction from the person he's dancing around in front of it "oh how cute", "oh how clever" :laugh:

If they don't pull out a treat for him then

Step 2 - still standing up, he'll flick his eyes from the treat bag/pocket back to their face and repeat. He has an excellent "what do you mean, I don't get a treat?" guilt inducing face. At this stage he often throws in some spins (still on hind legs, spinning in a circle or two).

Usually at this stage I get asked "Can he have one?" I say "yes, if you want but he will seriously remember forever and never leave you alone so you don't have to". They always do.

Step 3 - if they haven't paid up by now he'll go into his other tricks repertoire. He'll try sit/beg/drop/all of the above, with the happy expectant look back on his face.

Step 4 - by now he has started to give up, I'm sure blaming me because this whole time I will have been watching, telling him to forget about it and the person not to fall for it. He'll then go into a resigned sit and look up at the person with sad puppy eyes and no smile, as though to say "that's ok, i'll just continue starving".

Step 5 - his last ditch effort if none of the previous has worked, is to do a "huff", stand up and start to walk off, pause, look pack at them over his shoulder with happy face again, then, if it still doesnt work, continue on to the next person and go through it all again!

I know this sounds like anthropomorphising but I swear it is really what he does! I could provide testimony from any number of people at the dog park who have experienced it. If people want to treat him I do usually let them because I figure if he can convince them with his efforts despite me saying it is not necessary, well good on him. How to win friends and influence people

Anyone else have a dog who uses their doggy wiles to manipulate silly old humans?

Edited December 28, 2012 by Simply Grand

[minimax]

Max, my pug, is a master at manipulating my OH. I don't fall for it, but she does all the time.

When we are out, Max will intentionally and randomly run a little away so you call her back and treat her. When she was little she trained my OH to feed her every few steps when walking on lead, that was hilarious.

Boston will sit if you have something he wants, and if he doesn't get it he stands up and sits again straight away, just so you know He's being good and sitting

[Simply Grand]

:laugh: :laugh: I can DEFINITELY see Pugs being up there in the manipulative dog stakes!

[hankdog]

hehe mine is a master of manipulation. He's reactive and is learning to look at me when stressed, as we approach a known dog containing house he will start looking and even if no dog appears will sit and not budge until he's "paid" for doing the right thing. I know he's genuinely stressed now but I reckon I'm going to be paying him way past when he's no longer reactive.

[mixeduppup]

Maybe is great at getting all the attention on her, she has every trick in the book.

She has a very pushy nature and if people stop patting her she;ll push her head into their hand and if they take it away then she keep pushing until she's on their lap and in their face, she has my sister pinned to the couch staring at her with a toy in her mouth . We were beside ourselves. She knows an easy target when she sees one

Another thing she'll do is play fetch but will act like she's giving you the ball or toy but then snatch it back, she's worked out that it doesn't work on me but she does it with other people.

Baxter pretends he's been shot to get attention. I taught him to play dead when he was a pup and haven't actually made him do it for years but if another dog is getting attention and he want it, he'll make this pitiful whine and fall over. He also pretends to limp so I'll carry him.

Torque can jump a fence into sheep yards and into the backs of utes but apparently can't jump into the back seat of the car without assistance.

[Dame Aussie]

Lili is shocking. If we've told her no more on the fetch front, she will actually wait until someone is distracted, i.e: talking/laughing, just sitting down, and will drop her ball in their lap, 80% of the time, being distracted, the person will throw the ball out of habit.

She also drops whatever toy or ball she has on a seat as someone is sitting down in it, meaning they have to remove it and that usually ends up in a throw for her to chase.

If her ball is put away she will often sit below where it is for hours with a face on. Doesn't work, we just leave her there and she eventually joins us wherever we are.

She has perfected a stare of disturbing intensity which she will use on anyone and everyone. We are used to it now so ignore it but other people can't and end up playing with her.

Edited December 28, 2012 by Aussie3

[Simply Grand]

They are SO much better at training than we are!

[ESCS]

Miki will also go through his whole repertoire of tricks/commands. If he doesn't get a treat, he will pull out his trump card - the salute! We were overseas the first time Miki stayed with my parents. We got a call in the night from Mum who was in a flap. She told me something was wrong with Miki 's front leg. I started to worry and asked what was wrong. Mum said that Miki keeps lifting his paw and touching his head and he keeps on doing it. I asked if this happened while she was cooking in the kitchen. She said " yes" in which case I relaxed and told her he is saluting her for a piece of whatever she is cooking and he'll keep doing it until he gets what he wants! If he gets very desperate, he will salute standing up,then sitting and finally in a drop position.

[Cleo's Corgwyn]

Corgis are masters at the 'Corgi Mind Bore' - those ears are not just decorative, they serve as amplifying dishes for the corgi will. They'll sit there and stare at you, ears twitching for maximum power, and the occasional head tilt, for added cuteness.

Shandy also taught my Dad to feed her liver treats at will when we visited last. She would sit with her back to him, studiously ignoring him, until he snapped pieces of liver treat in half, then she'd come running. She also taught my husband to pick her up by wedging her head against the side of his neck when he bent down to give her cuddles, then lifting all her paws off the ground until he's forced to hold her.

[tdierikx]

Mine can be masters of the "my mum doesn't feed or love me" eyes...

Trouble does the most lovely beg too...

T.

[mita]

Our late sheltie, Shelley, was an expert at manipulation.

She decided she didn't want to walk up the 5 steps onto the back deck. So she'd sit at the bottom.... & keep giving one sharp bark. It really did sound like, 'Steps!'.

I lifted her up a few times (she was bigger than standard) & then figured I was being manipulated. So I tried ignoring her. She just did it again...'Steps!' When she did... a neighbour would call out, 'Shelley wants to go up the steps!!!'

One time I was lifting her up the steps & I slipped half way. Nearly broke my knee but I managed to keep hold of her. I was still trying to figure how get myself up, when Shelley realised she wasn't going anywhere. So she turned around & barked, 'Steps!'

Sure enough, a neighbour called out, 'Shelley wants to go up the steps!!!'

Edited December 29, 2012 by mita

[mantis]

They are SO much better at training than we are!

Exactly, I've been told many times that my sweet Kenny had me trained. :laugh:

If he wanted a treat, he would grab anything he could & proceed to pretend to "kill" it & wouldn't drop it, until he saw a treat. Also, when I was on the computer & he wanted attention, he would just keep head butting my arm, until I stopped & gave him pats & cuddles.

[grumpette]

The girl dog in our household is the master manipulator of the poor boy dog.

When Dee and Zeph are in the backyard chewing their bones Dee will deliberately run to the fence and bark if she has finished hers. Of course Zeph will leave his bone to join her at the fence to see what is going on. Mean while she doubles back and steals his bone. He has finally cottoned on to her motives and will run to the fence with the bone in his mouth to see what is going on. Maybe he is not as silly as we thought.

[Daisys Mum]

Sasha my Kelpie is very very smart but not always in a good way :laugh: she knows how to wrap her paw around you! also Lacey my CKCS has it down pat! ... in the lounge they have one of those plastic roller containers that fit under your bed full of toys and every chance they get especially when you are distracted they will sit right next to it as if to say " we are being good mum!" also they get a treat every night and we give it to them after we have made a cuppa ... as soon as they hear me stirring it they race to my bedroom and sit on my bed patiently waiting for their treat :laugh: ... and omg those eyes! they always give you *that* look lol... almost making me feel they are so hard done by :laugh:

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Oh look isn't that cute - your dog knows "shake hands".

But it isn't cos evil hound wraps her little fist around hand shaker's wrist - and shoves the hand on her belly. And she will keep poking the hand until it's in just the right spot. And she's not always gentle either. Sigh.

And she has also learned a guaranteed way to get attention and maybe a game of chase me - is "the goose". And her fave target - old ladies. And anyone carrying treats.

And to get my attention when I'm on the computer - she comes and puts both paws on my shoulder and barks in my ear. Works every time. Probably just as well - that one.

[Little Gifts]

Our newest addition is a talker. All. The. Time. Unfortunately I have caught myself talking back. She has one humphy sort of sound she makes if the older dog has her cordoned off (evil older dog game) and that is the one we respond to most so we can train the older dog out of doing it and the youngest out of thinking she can't get by safely. The one that can never be neglected is her nom nom noises - usually followed by chewing on whatever bits she can get hold of on her humans. This is a sign that breakfast/dinner is clearly overdue by at least one minute! Up the nom noises and chewing as each additional minute passes till you are deaf and missing a limb!

[fainty_girl]

That's very funny Simply Grand :laugh: .

I have a couple of manipulators here :laugh: ...

Tilly has my dad totally wrapped around her little paw, he lets her get away with a lot. He lets her beg for his food and lets her jump on his bed for a cuddle. If Tilly is scared of something she goes straight to my dad and wants to jump into his lap for a cuddle, he loves it!

Tilly manipulates you to turn on the gas heater for her too...she will walk ahead and keep turning back to make sure you are still there, then she goes and "dances" in front of the heater, moving her front paws up and down, one at a time until you turn the heater on. If you tell her "no, you're not getting the heater on" she does a little "aroooo" sound.

My brother's Kelpie, Rusty is very manipulative, if he wants something then he communicates this by staring at what he wants and then he looks at you. Eg, he will look at where the dog leads are hung up or at the front door and then stare at my brother. If he wants a dog toy, he goes and looks at the cupboard where they are kept and then he looks at me. He also picks up on keywords in conversations when he's not even in the room...the other day he overheard me saying that I was going to "play ball" with him and give them dinner after, and that was it, he immediately wanted to go out for a run!