Dog who hated bandage on his foot fooled his owners with a clever trick — while scoring extra treats for being ‘obedient’

'Such a sneaky boy,' the owner laughed, almost impressed by the clever pup.

PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO

(L) Veterinarian in work uniform bandaging a paw of a dog, (R) Dog owner standing alone in her living room and treating her dog. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) bluecinema, (R) Moyo Studio)

Dogs have an intellect of their own. While humans are busy touting their intelligence as one of a kind, their pets quietly outsmart them with tricks up their furry paws. One owner narrated a hilarious story about the persistence of their dog recovering from an injured foot. The pet owner, under u/xboafax on Reddit, was simply following instructions when their dog cut his foot and needed to be treated with a bandage. The veterinarian advised that the bandage remain intact until the injury healed. In the days that followed, the owner struggled to keep the bandage on their pup’s leg, but one day, he surprised them with his obedience. Turns out, it was an act.

Veterinarian wrapping bandage around a dog's leg. Representative Image: Getty Images | Photo by Media Photos — Veterinarian wrapping bandage around a dog's leg. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Media Photos)

“Years ago, my dog cut his foot and our vet recommended putting manuka honey on it, bandage it, and then tape a sock over it to stop the bandage from unraveling,” the dog owner recalled. They changed and replaced the bandage regularly while applying fresh honey over the wound. It did not escape the owner’s notice that their pup was hardly pleased with the bandaged paw. “He absolutely hated having his foot covered, so we had to keep constant watch over him to make sure he didn't pull it all off,” the note added.

A young man sitting on the floor and feeding a dog (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Photo by Bethany Ferr) — A young man sitting on the floor and feeding a dog. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Photo by Bethany Ferr)

On the final day, as the pet owner remembered, they had to leave their dog home alone for a few hours. When they returned, they were surprised to find the sock still on the dog’s foot. They had expected him to tear it apart or get rid of it somehow. “I gave him a ton of praise for being such a good, responsible boy, but half an hour later I found out his trick.” Later that day, the owner took off his sock and discovered the bandage was missing. Their furry pal had fooled them successfully and even earned some extra treats. “He had nibbled a little hole at the bottom of the sock, and pulled out all six feet of the bandage through the hole,” the pet owner revealed.

A dog imitating the owner (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Blue Bird) — A dog surprised its owner. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Blue Bird)

For the final touch, the dog had hidden the scraps of bandage under the blanket of his bed so his dog parents would have no clue. “Such a sneaky boy,” the owner laughed, almost impressed by the clever pup. The story was left as a comment under a Reddit post by a dog owner (u/dj_boy-Wonder) who encouraged fellow pet owners to share stories when their dogs pulled shenanigans to fool them for good. Studies suggest dogs may intentionally deceive their owners for treats or their own benefit.

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Marianne Heberlein of the University of Zurich led a study published in the journal Animal Cognition after she found her pooches pulling off deceptive behaviors. In her case, one of her dogs pretended to spot something interesting outside, prompting the other dog to give up the coveted sleeping spot. The study confirmed that dogs can adjust their behavior and use it for tactical deception.