A video of a dog being taught a "tough lesson" after using a fake leg injury to "extort treats" from his owner has sparked debate on social media.
The viral clip was shared to Instagram by Dennis Gerard (@pipersdad3 on Instagram , @dennis.gerard on TikTok and @TheRealPipersDad on YouTube/Facebook), who is based in Jacksonville, Florida. The video has had 8.1 million views since it was posted last year on December 15.
Gerard rescued Piper, his 17-year-old blind and deaf miniature pinscher with dog dementia, when the pup was 2 years old.
A caption shared with the clip reads: "Piper has been faking leg injuries to extort treats out of me for about a decade."
The footage shows Piper standing with his front right leg lifted off the floor. A subsequent message reads, "He succeeded in making me the weakest link in the treat begging chain," as the clip shows the dog laying on a bed with his front leg lifted up.
Piper's antics in the latest viral clip are not surprising, as our canine companions are capable of tricking their owners.
A March 2017 study in Animal Cognition, which looked at "whether dogs are able to mislead a human competitor" when it comes to opportunities for obtaining food, found that dogs have the flexibility to "adjust their behavior" and are "able to use tactical deception."
Marianne Heberlein, who led the study, told the New Scientist at the time that the dogs in the study showed an "impressive flexibility in behavior," adding that "they're not just sticking to a strict rule, but thinking about what different options they have."
'A Tough Lesson'
Piper first began faking leg injuries when he either stepped on a bee or an ant, according to a caption shared with the latest viral post.
"It really hurt him and he couldn't put pressure on that leg. Every time he did I would give him treats. So, I basically taught him to fake leg injuries for treats. He gets his legs mixed up as well now, he will raise different legs within minutes of each other," the caption reads.
The footage later shows Gerard driving a car with Piper sitting in his lap. "So I decided it was time to teach him a lesson by asking him if he wanted to go 'bye bye' with daddy. You can see I'm feeling pretty guilty for what's about to happen to him."
Another message across the clip says, "Piper's look when he realizes we are at the vet to have his leg fixed." The footage shows Piper sitting on what appears to be a couch in a medical office setting.
Another note on the screen says: "It's at this point he realizes he overplayed his leg injuries." Gerard is shown holding Piper, who is trembling close to his chest.
"It was a tough lesson to teach him," the next overlaid message says.
"But sometimes Daddy has to put his foot down so the Doggy puts its leg down," a final note reads, as Piper continues to shake while wrapped inside Gerard's jacket before the clip ends.
Newsweek has contacted Gerard for comment via email. This video has not been independently verified.
'Traumatized'
The latest video has sparked heated discussion among users on Instagram, with several criticizing Gerard, such as cday5207 who wrote, "I don't like this video! The poor dog is so scared. Look at owners face, he isn't showing dog love here. The dog feels somethings gonna happen. I wouldn't put my dog through that!"
"So mean. Your dog is simply communicating through body language and it's like why would you do that? like that's the cutest thing ever. Now you traumatized him," teabag__me commented.
User reneetracie noted: "Just don't reinforce the behavior of faking an injury - he would have eventually stopped if ignored and not rewarded with treats - no need to scare him unnecessarily."
8stephanie88 wrote: "I wouldn't put a dog through all this because he wants to play an innocent game to get treats. Wow! Just wow!"
'Punished for Being Brilliant'
Others were simply amused by the dog's leg injury trick, such as nicole_elizabeth76 who wrote, "It's amazing how dogs can get us to do exactly what they want, when they want."
"Punished for being brilliant," noted poisonevie, while stephfleet33 commented, "I'm his attorney and he is innocent of all accusations."
"The shaking when he realizes he has over played his hand," em_the_bathing_mama noted.
User cd_thealphaqueen wrote: "Piper said wait a damn minute, this is not Starbucks."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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