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2theleft

(1,136 posts)
Sun Jan 20, 2013, 03:08 AM Jan 2013

Do your dogs ever try to trick each other??

I have two dogs, one is 5 (doberman/hound mix), one is 3 (boxer). Spoiled rotten. Last year I got a sectional sofa, and evidently, the corner spot is the BEST spot ever, in the entire history of the world, to nap. They both desperately want to be there. All of the time.

When I first got the sofa, it was a matter of who got there first. Dog 1 gets to the primo spot. Dog 2 notices. Dog 2 wanders around the house, dejected. Eventually finds a far sub-standard place to nap. Same thing happens when Dog 2 gets the primo spot.

One year later, I swear they are tricking each other out of the spot. For the past week I've been noticing that as soon as one dog gets in the spot, the other notices and then casually strolls the sliding glass door to the deck. Looks around innocently, then starts to bark. The dog in the best spot jumps up to come help investigate. The barker than bolts and gets in the good spot. This goes on back and forth for basically the entire day.

Don't some people think that dogs can't reason? I swear they are smarter than a lot of people I know.

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Do your dogs ever try to trick each other?? (Original Post) 2theleft Jan 2013 OP
Omg yes! My lab mix does something similar nadine_mn Jan 2013 #1
Yes! My dogs did the same thing! intheflow Jan 2013 #2
OMG! That is just too funny! nt avebury Jan 2013 #3
I saw a plan of action executed to perfection years ago IDemo Jan 2013 #4
Yes, #1 dog (Hank) tricks #3 (Max) Myrina Jan 2013 #5
I've seen one of my cats do the same thing The Velveteen Ocelot Jan 2013 #6
OMG - that is hysterical. 2theleft Jan 2013 #7
HA HA - so many funny stories... 2theleft Jan 2013 #8
Our Shih-tzu does that regularly Stinky The Clown Jan 2013 #9
We have a dog and cat that are partners in crime TexasBushwhacker Jan 2013 #10
That's awesome. I love seeing different animals work together... 2theleft Jan 2013 #12
I only have the one dog, but he's constantly trying to trick me TorchTheWitch Jan 2013 #11
mine do that with their toys sad-cafe Jan 2013 #13
I think boxers were bred to be spoiled. ;-) 2theleft Jan 2013 #14
we spoil them like they were kids sad-cafe Jan 2013 #15
we sure do sad-cafe Jan 2013 #16
Absolutely matt819 Jan 2013 #17

nadine_mn

(3,702 posts)
1. Omg yes! My lab mix does something similar
Sun Jan 20, 2013, 04:37 AM
Jan 2013

We used to have 3 dogs..Ed, a collie mix, Lienie a lab mix and Jasmine a lab/chesapeake retriever mix - Jazz was the baby. Ed and Lienie have since passed, but when they were alive we would all cuddle in bed. Well there wouldn't be room for Jazz (2 big people and 2 big dogs) so she would go out to the living room and do the "oh my gosh, someone is outside" bark and the older two dogs would jump off the bed and run to check it out, then she would run into the bedroom and take their spot.

I remember when the older dogs figured it out, so that later when she would try it, they would just kind look around like...oh there she goes again. Now she is the old girl and we have adopted a German shepherd who occasionally falls for that trick when she wants his space on the couch.

intheflow

(28,407 posts)
2. Yes! My dogs did the same thing!
Sun Jan 20, 2013, 12:59 PM
Jan 2013

It was actually my dog and my housemate's dog. We had a loveseat (designated "dog couch&quot that had the only view out the front of the house. My dog is a large lab/shepherd mix, my roomie's dog was an even larger malamute. No way they could share the same space. If Shaggy (the malamute) got on that couch, Bear would create a diversion, either by playing with a toy or getting some human lovin'. The second Shag was sucked into the new activity, Bear would be up on dog couch. It was hysterical!

IDemo

(16,926 posts)
4. I saw a plan of action executed to perfection years ago
Sun Jan 20, 2013, 01:17 PM
Jan 2013

My two old roommates had a German Shepherd and a young Australian shepherd. The GS was working on a beef bone in the backyard that the youngster wanted. After being growled away a couple of times, the Australian shepherd retrieved a red towel from the corner of the yard and began orbiting the GS, back and forth, around and around. Finally, the GS hopped up and chased the young one, who ran to a clothesline pole at one end of the yard and performed a quick 180 degree turn, dropping the towel at the apex of the turn. The GS stopped and grabbed the towel while the youngster ran back and grabbed the bone. The owner of the GS was upset, having watched his girl get tricked by an upstart, and threw open the sliding door to retrieve the bone for his dog. I thought the Australian had earned it fair and square.

Myrina

(12,296 posts)
5. Yes, #1 dog (Hank) tricks #3 (Max)
Sun Jan 20, 2013, 02:04 PM
Jan 2013

... When Max is in my face getting petted or loved on, Hank will go grab one of Max's favorite toys from the basket & taunt him with it. Inevitably, Max goes after the toy & Hank moves in for the mommy-attention.

It never fails.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,279 posts)
6. I've seen one of my cats do the same thing
Sun Jan 20, 2013, 02:21 PM
Jan 2013

to reclaim his heated cat bed. Milo made a big deal of pouncing on something, so the other cat, Jeoffry, got out of the bed to see what it was. Milo promptly scooted into the bed, leaving Jeoffry wondering what had just happened. Usually, though, he's a little more direct. Milo is the Gatto di Tutti Gatti, so he usually gets his way. One afternoon he was asleep in his heated bed, but at some point he had to use the litter box so he got up and headed for the bathroom, did his business, then took another detour into the kitchen to see if there was anything in his bowl.

In the meantime, Jeoffry saw that the bed had been vacated and seized the opportunity. When Milo returned he found Jeoffry asleep (or pretending to be) in his bed. He sat down and stared at him for a minute. Jeoffry didn't move. Then Milo raised his paw and started whapping him on the head. After several whaps Jeoffry looked up, blinked, and curled back to sleep. Milo whapped again, with no results. Finally, Milo got into the bed and settled down on top of Jeoffry, who eventually got so warm and uncomfortable (Milo weighs 16 lbs. and is very furry) that he crawled out from under him and wandered off to sleep somewhere else. Milo settled back in, and his ownership of the bed has never again been challenged. I love watching them - it's cheap entertainment.

2theleft

(1,136 posts)
7. OMG - that is hysterical.
Sun Jan 20, 2013, 03:11 PM
Jan 2013

I think the boxer would actually LOVE to lay on top of Chance - she is a cuddle bug...but Chance would NOT tolerate it.

2theleft

(1,136 posts)
8. HA HA - so many funny stories...
Sun Jan 20, 2013, 03:12 PM
Jan 2013

They really are smarter than some people give them credit for. Thanks for the stories! Great start to a Sunday getting a chuckle out of the fur babies.

Stinky The Clown

(67,677 posts)
9. Our Shih-tzu does that regularly
Sun Jan 20, 2013, 06:10 PM
Jan 2013

She barks as if she has to go out. We humans know that isn't actually the way she asks to go out, but the other two dogs don't. So she raises this ruckus, they go over to the deck door and prance, waiting to be let out. We open the door, they race out as if their fur is on fire and she . . . . . runs over to the chewies they have softened, choose the one most to her liking, and settles down with it.

When the other two come in, they seem confused. They also haven't figured out where their chewies keep going.

The Shih-tzu quietly gnaws on the nice, pre-softened chewie she "found."

TexasBushwhacker

(20,043 posts)
10. We have a dog and cat that are partners in crime
Wed Jan 23, 2013, 02:32 AM
Jan 2013

The likes to chew on anything and everything so my roommate and I are careful to put things up where the dog can't get them, like on a shelf or table. But the cat is happy to hop up on the shelf and knock things off for the dog to then chew up.

2theleft

(1,136 posts)
12. That's awesome. I love seeing different animals work together...
Wed Jan 23, 2013, 05:57 PM
Jan 2013

I mean, it's not awesome that your stuff is getting chewed up, but awesome that kitty is helping the pup.

TorchTheWitch

(11,065 posts)
11. I only have the one dog, but he's constantly trying to trick me
Wed Jan 23, 2013, 06:55 AM
Jan 2013

Michievous bugger he is.

That's really funny how your dogs trick each other to get the prime couch spot.


matt819

(10,749 posts)
17. Absolutely
Sat Jan 26, 2013, 10:46 PM
Jan 2013

We have a menagerie of Jack Russells, 2 of whom play tricks on each other all the time, essentially over the same thing. But it's not a matter of a particular dog bed, or corner of the sofa; it's whatever one has and the other doesn't. One will fuss and bother over something, and the other will have to see what's going on. The no. 1 will mosey on over to what he wanted in the first place. Or one will be in the dog bed, and the other will lie down - just being friendly, right? Ever so slowly, the "friend" will have the bed to himself.

Riotously funny.

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