http://www.petcentric.com/article.aspx?C=6&OID=79
What Pets Will Do for Their Treats!
We all love to give our pets treats as a reward for a trick or good behavior. But many clever kitties and pups turn the tables and teach us to hand over the treats! Since this is Trick or Treat season, we though we’d share some tricks pets use to garner their treats.
Spot, a shorthair kitty, has designated the center of the ottoman as the Treat Request Station. She will sit there, assuming the Treat Position, and stare down her owner, Debbie, until she gets up and fetches one. If Debbie isn’t paying attention, Spot nudges her with a paw as if to say, “Excuse me, do you not see me here asking for a treat?”
Baby Doll, a hound mix, gets a treat for doing her doggie duty outside in the backyard. So, she goes outside and pretends to go potty in hopes of tricking her owner out of a treat.
Jordan, a terrier mix, also gets treats for going out back to do his duty. But Jordan is getting older, and wants to cut to the chase. He thinks if he just stands at the back door and asks to go out, that should be enough to earn a treat.
Casey, an 18-year-old cat, knows the treats are kept in the cupboard. Despite her age, she jumps up and tries to turn the knob with her paws. When her owner obeys, she insists on eating it on the counter, never the floor.
There is nothing subtle about the way Lucy, a Beagle-Dachshund mix, asks for her favorite treats – ice cubes. She body slams against the refrigerator until someone complies.
Bella, a Spinone puppy, attaches her cold, wet nose to her owner’s bare leg like a magnet and follows her around the house like that until she becomes such an annoyance she gets her treat. However, Bella must sit to receive it. So, she hops on her bottom – moving toward the treat, obediently remaining seated.
There seems to be a magical aura surrounding the place where treats are stored. A pet's senses begin tingling when a human crosses into this Treat Zone. They will bolt to the area and begin a series of antics that clearly communicate, “You entered the Treat Zone – you must be here to give me a treat! What other possible reason could there be for you to be here?! You’re the best!” And then, what are you to do – having to choose between being a Big Sucker or a Big Meany?
Pets are not only crafty about manipulating us for their treats, many are also quite particular about what they get and how they get it.
Spanky, for example, a funny six-year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, likes all kinds of treats – even carrots, and will happily eat them whole or in pieces. However, if he hears his treat being broken, he refuses to eat it. He will not even come into the room when called if he has just heard the breaking of a food item.
Dexter and Dixie, a pair of Beagle mixes, jump like crazy when their owner Tom comes home. They know it’s treat time. Tom makes them settle down first. If he gives them a biscuit rather than their specific favorite, Purina® brand Beggin’® Strips, both dogs give him that incredulous look that says, “Are you kidding? We did all that work for this?”
Eddie, a Portuguese Sheepdog, has his own quirks. He will not eat the first treat offered to him. He always waits for the second.
What do your pets do to get their treats? Have they trained you well?
