Summer always hears well when it's time for a walk. — Photos: LIEW PEI YI
When it comes to complex behaviour like deceit, we humans are capable of some very nifty double-dealing. However, animals are also good at pulling the wool over each other’s eyes.
One common deception involves lying about where they are or where they are going, to protect themselves from threats.
Making up stories can also help them manipulate other members in the group, like getting food from a motherly animal by pretending to be hungry or very sneakily stealing from an alpha without being caught.
Dogs are man’s best friend, honest and true companions. But our canines are also capable of fibbing. We talked to one dog owner who is regularly taken in by her tail friend’s naughty antics.
Nine years ago, a frightened little puppy called Summer found a happy home with Liew Pei Yi, a music teacher in Subang Jaya. Today her white fur is pristine and she is the family’s indulged princess.
“Summer definitely has selective hearing,” Liew admits. “She knows her name and she knows perfectly well when we’re calling her but she only comes when it’s something she wants to do.”
“Like, if she hears the word ‘shower’, she sneaks away. If you see her, she pretends she can’t hear you. She turns her head away and keeps retreating.”
“But if she sees her harness, she knows it’s walk time and she comes immediately. Suddenly her hearing is perfectly fine.”
Summer manipulates the softer members of her family and pretends she has no clue what she is doing.
In fact, Summer has her own style of obedience. “If you don’t hold a snack when you call, she won’t respond,” Liew giggles.
“It’s because of the way we trained her. Treats were supposed to encourage her to listen but now she absolutely refuses to unlearn that. We’ve learned to hold a treat when we want something, so she’s leading quite well.”
Getting her way
Summer isn’t shy about getting her own way either, even if it's patently inconvenient for her mum.
“We took her on a holiday to Bentong,” Liew says. “Lots of grass and the outdoors; everything we love about nature.”
“Well, at 4am Summer woke me up, explaining it was urgent that we went out. I thought she had a stomach ache or wanted to poo, so I quickly got up and dressed. But when we were outside, I soon realised that she wanted to walk and chase squirrels.”
She adds laughing indignantly, “She got me up in the middle of the night and she wasn’t sorry!”
Summer’s cheerful duplicity really shines when it comes to food. The little dog is a huge fan of human food, especially meat and eggs.
One of her favourites is chicken skin burgers, the crunchy treat where crispy fried chicken skins are layered in a hot bun.
“Human food isn’t good for dogs,” Liew points out. “Summer knows she’s not allowed and she never steals. She begs but I can be quite tough. However, she knows my mum is a soft touch.”
“When we’re eating, Summer stares and stares. My mum then feels pity and asks me for permission. I can’t refuse my mum and so Summer gets exactly what she wants.”
Aside from her superb Machiavellian skills, Summer is also an opportunist.
“When my eight-year-old niece visits, Summer will be very vigilant because the little girl often drops things,” Liew explains.
“Summer is super sneaky and lightning fast. The second my niece drops a bit of food, it’s gone. And when I see her do it, Summer looks away and pretends she can’t hear me tell her off – while she’s swallowing the stolen food!”
Secret food stash
As an indulged pet, Summer has a supply of dog friendly treats: pig ear, dehydrated pork and more.
While she gets them often, Summer has a curious habit there too.
“When we go to a dog-friendly mall, we’ll be out and about playing and after that we’re inside and then she has to be in her stroller,” Liew explains.
“In between games, I’ll hand her a dehydrated pork snack. Instead of eating it, she hides these under her stroller mat and then comes back to tell me she has no snacks.”
“I act like I don’t know she’s hidden it, and give her another one. She can keep this up all day. She’ll eat a few but she hides most in her stroller. By the end of the day, she has a collection there.”
Summer is happily getting away with deception because she is loved and she knows it. As to why she does it, that’s an interesting question up for debate.
In nature, deception is a necessary survival skill. Pets are animals and these vital skills are deeply coded into their behaviour.
Pets may continue to engage in playful deception because it taps into their natural instincts for survival. Additionally, these antics are rewarding.
A dog who knows she’s manipulating her family to get a forbidden treat wins twice because she gets her favourite people laughing and she gets a crispy chicken skin on top of it too.
These cheeky shenanigans add to the joy our pets bring us, proving that a day with a dog is always an adventure worth having.
