Mila's Tricks

We all know animals are pretty smart and learn certain things quickly, like commands and when they should hang out in the kitchen because something tasty might fall on the floor. This is all due to repetition and rewarding their behavior, whether the reward is intentional or not. But their minds sometimes work in surprising ways.

Who would have guessed this sweet face is hiding such a devious mind?

Mila is constantly trying to trick us into believing she is being a good girl when she doesn't want to eat her food or go potty.

We feed Mila twice a day, usually at the same time. We have such a hard time getting her to eat--she would rather save her appetite for people food. Sometimes we have to trick her into eating by making her follow commands and giving her a few kibbles as a treat. And then, sometimes, she tries to trick us by pretending she is eating.

"Eat your food, Mila."

"Mila, eat your food."

Finally, she sticks her face into the bowl and, when praised, she comes back up without having taken a bite. When she finally decides that she is hungry and eats her food all gone, she comes running in hopes of praise and being told that she is a good girl.

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Mila really hates going out on the wet grass. She will resist until we carry her out and set her down onto the ground. Sometimes, she will even run down the steps and run right back up, thinking we will believe she went potty. We learned quickly that we have to actually watch her go onto the grass, or she usually won't go.

She knows just when it is time to go to bed, and she knows that she gets a treat when she goes into her kennel. We always let her outside one last time before she goes into her kennel for the night. Mila is in such a hurry to get her treat that she doesn't much care for the potty part, so if we don't watch her, she will pretend to go and we will see her face peering inside a few seconds later.

Dogs. Their minds work in such curious ways.