Way to go science revealing a long held dog secret.  Apparently three Swiss scientists, who study dog cognition at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, conducted a test to expose our secret to the world.  Namely, dogs do indeed manipulate humans to get what they want!  In fact to further add to their research, I’m going to reveal how Asa and I do it every day.  But first, let me share these scientists’ experiment.

According to this study by Marianne T. E. Heberlein, Marta B. Manser and Dennis C. Turner, “Deceptive-like Behavior in Dogs (Canis Familiaris),” published this month in the journal of Animal Cognition, dogs not only deceive humans to get something they desire, they can figure out the best way to do it rather quickly.  The inspiration for this study came from Heberlein’s own dogs, who she noticed were not only deceiving each other, but her as well.  Whether it was to get the best sleeping spot or a treat, her dogs were downright manipulative.  This made Heberlein question, do other dogs do this as well?

Using 27 dogs of different breeds, and pairing them with two humans each, a “cooperative” one who allowed the dogs to eat treats, and a “competitive” one who withheld the treats, Heberlein, Manser and Turner designed a four day study to test the dogs’ behavior.  After the dogs learned which partner was cooperative and which was competitive, the pups were given the opportunity to lead each human to one of three boxes containing either a juicy sausage, a less-appetizing dry dog treat or nothing at all.  Well it didn’t take the dogs long to figure who to lead to which box.  On the first day, dogs led the cooperative partner over to the sausage more often than to attribute it to mere chance.  By the second day, the dogs really had a handle on the situation on how to get that sausage.  According to the study by the second day, the dogs consistently led the cooperative human to the sausage.  Yet these same dogs also without fail led the competitive person to the empty box or the plain treat box.  The results of “Deceptive-like Behavior in Dogs (Canis Familiaris)” show that “dogs distinguished between the cooperative and the competitive partner, and indicate the flexibility of dogs to adjust their behavior and that they are able to use tactical deception.”  The report also found, “They seemed to choose a behavioral pattern that would give them the highest chance of obtaining their preferred food later.”

Well of course we are capable of deception to give us the best chance to get food!  Asa and I live this experiment every day!  So in the interest of the scientific advancement of dogs, Asa and I are going to reveal our little secret as yet more proof for this theory.  Every evening we have the same routine.  While Mom (cooperative partner) cleans up the dinner dishes, Asa and I will go hang out with Dad (competitive partner) in front of the TV.  But as soon as Mom sits down to join us, one of us will insist we need to go out to do our business.  Now I admit Mom has caught on to our deception, and will grumble to Dad that it would be nice for him to take us out while she is cleaning.  Dad, without fail, always responds, “but they were just quietly sleeping a second ago, and didn’t need to go out until you were here.”  Dad is correct.  You see…oh dear I can’t believe I’m revealing this secret…Asa and I purposely wait for Mom to take us out because Mom will give us a treat every time and Dad occasionally won’t!  We’re not idiots.  Of course we’re going to wait and insist that Mom does it.  There’s not even the slightest chance we’re going to risk not getting a treat by letting Dad take us out.  Naive humans!  To think that you’re just realizing how dogs have been manipulating you all along!  Now if you’ll please excuse me, Asa and I need to go out…or do we?!