13 People Share The Best Things They've Managed To Teach Their Pets To Do By Accident
Some pets learn tricks on purpose, and some pick up habits by accident that are even better. In these stories, a boop, a sound, a routine, or a tiny daily ritual turns into a full-blown behavior that the humans never meant to teach.
[ADVERTISEMENT]
From dogs that think certain noises mean walks to cats that start delivering mail, each person here ended up with a pet that made its own rules. The results are funny, oddly specific, and a little too effective.
[ADVERTISEMENT]
Scroll through the list, because a few of these accidental lessons are surprisingly clever.
#15 Boop!
“I’ve been booping my tiny tabby since she was a kitten. She sits beside me on the arm of the sofa whenever I watch TV, as this usually results in treats. One day, to my joyful surprise, she gently booped my nose with her paw. This overwhelming display of cuteness naturally earned her a treat, so now I’m plagued by boops on a regular basis.”
That tiny reward loop worked a little too well.
#14 Who knows how long she was there?
“My dog Blue is a hunting dog, but she is also a huge couch hound who loves cuddling. She sleeps with me a lot, but if she gets in bed before me, she takes up the entire bed.
I usually make her sit, let me get in bed, and get comfy, and then she can come up.
The other night, I was in bed earlier than usual because I wasn’t feeling well, and suddenly I had a horrible feeling that I was being watched. Creeped out, I was looking around for my phone when I heard this weird groaning noise.
I immediately grabbed my phone and shone my flashlight toward the noise, only to see Blue’s eyes peeking at me over the edge of my bed. I accidentally trained her to wait until I gave her the OK to come up with me. I have no idea how long she was there, and I was cracking up when I realized what was happening.”
#13 He learned to do this loud, slow inhalation routine.
“Alright, this may be a bit hard to describe, but I’ll do my best.
Growing up, my family had a dog named Jock, along with some other dogs that came and went. The back door of our house led into our kitchen, and we had a wooden dog door in the back door.
Sometimes, when the dogs were outside for whatever reason and my mother was cooking, Jock would put his snout right up to the crack in the dog door and inhale as deeply as possible, trying to get whiffs of the food. My mom found this so annoying that she would open the door to shut him up.
I guess this happened enough times that he learned to do this loud, slow inhalation routine whenever he wanted to be let inside, but then he also extended his method to every door in the house. Whenever he wanted a door open, he would stick his nose right up to the crack under the door and inhale deeply. Repeatedly.
He did this for at least five years until the day he died. And it worked because the sound of something sucking air through your door for several minutes was incredibly annoying.”
He found the one sound nobody could ignore.
#12 She freaks out whenever she sees pants.
“A little bit of preface… I hate pants; I’m more of a skirt or dress type of person. My energetic Sheepherder Husky mix knows that if I have pants on, it means I’m taking her for a hike. Now, whenever I’m seen in pants, she freaks out, jumping up and down and running to the front door.”
#11 He delivers the mail.
“After watching me retrieve the incoming mail from the letter slot over time, our cat-a big male Maine Coon-delivers it to me.
As I noted some time ago, he grabs each letter in his teeth and brings it to where I’m sitting. Bigger pieces get batted with his strong paws.
(If there’s a piece too heavy, he sits at my feet, looking back to the letter slot, and “MROW’s” loudly until I go fetch it.)”
That cat has fully accepted the job.
#10 Plan of attack.
“When my old cat was a kitten, he would get in your face when you were eating and try to steal food off your plate, fork, or mouth. A squirt bottle came into play, and after a few days, he realized that if he stood by the Xbox, we would not squirt him, and he could plan an attack.”
Like the dog owners in the story about patience building lasting bonds, treats and consistency do the work.
#9 He only does it for me.
“When I put my dog’s harness on him, he jumps up with his front feet. He started this because I lift his front two feet up to make him “step in” to it. He only does it for me, not for my girlfriend.”
#8 He knows.
“When I put on lipstick, the dog goes into his crate. I can do all sorts of things in the bathroom, but that last step of putting on lipstick makes him know it’s time to get going.”
One tiny cue, and he’s out.
#7 Bless you!
“I had a budgie who was impossible to train, but he chirped twice after anyone in the house sneezed. It was his form of “Bless You.”
Edit: changed “tweeted” to “chirped.” No, my bird did not know how to use Twitter :).”
#6 A Pavlovian response.
“My roommate’s dog now barks at the door any time Bob’s Burgers comes on because a different roommate has the theme as her ringtone and often orders food. He now has a Pavlovian response, thinking there is a delivery person at the door every time he hears that jingle.
My cat will instinctively close her eyes, tuck in her chin, and put her head out as much as she can anytime I make a kissy noise since I typically follow it up with a “kiss” on the forehead. It’s this cute little boop she does. I guess that counts?”
#5 A change of perspective.
“I’ve accidentally trained my mother-in-law’s terrier to sit on my shoulder like a parrot. He lets me walk around like that. I think he enjoys being carried and the change of perspective.”
#4 To be fair.
“The noise of the Xbox turning off: when the dog hears that ‘boo boo bing’ noise, he goes absolutely crazy thinking he’s getting taken on a walk. To be fair, he usually is.”
That sound has become the whole routine.
#3 “I’m going upstairs.”
“My wife and I lived in a condo, and whenever one of us went upstairs, we announced it, like “I’m going upstairs.” Then we would go.
So one day, my wife was trying to snack on something, and our dog was bothering her. She got fed up and scoldingly said, “Go upstairs!”
Up the stairs he went! Where he sat and stared at her as if nobody ever fed him and one little bite would mean the world.”
#2 Look both ways.
“There are a lot of crosswalks around my neighborhood, and I always stop at them and look both ways (there are some reckless drivers in my neighborhood too). My dog has adopted this technique as well; she’ll sit and either look down the street or at me at every crosswalk until I go to walk.”
#1 She bends like a bean.
“I get really excited when my boxer, Layla, bends herself like a kidney bean when I get home.
She’s really excited, I’m really excited, so when I squeal, “Do your bean, Layla!” it just perpetuates itself.
I love Layla.”
What amazing tricks do your pets do?
If you enjoyed this post, please remember to like, comment, and share it with your friends and family!
Somehow, the pets ended up training their humans too.
Boops for treats is cute, but the proof your pet might be smarter than you is wilder.
Share this article:
