Learned behavior allows dogs to figure out the cause and effect of their actions. For example, some pups learn that pawing the backdoor will result in being let outside.
It’s quite useful for training, but certain savvy pups – like Kennady Longhurst’s pooch, Sullivan – learn to use it for more devious purposes.
Sullivan – Sully for short – is admittedly quite spoiled according to Longhurst and her husband, Alex Salsberry. So when their precious pup suddenly developed a cough last Thursday, the Utah couple went into panic mode.
Longhurst came home for lunch and heard Sully making “this weird combination of coughing, choking, clearing his throat sound.” She began Googling canine CPR and called Salsberry who rushed home from work to help out.
Once both of his pawrents were home, Sully seemed to make a miraculous recovery, running around, wagging his tail and “acting completely normal.”
Still, Longhurst decided to play it safe and take the rest of the afternoon off work. The couple told Buzzfeed that although Sully would occasionally cough, he was otherwise behaving normally.
By that evening, the cough had subsided. But the following morning, as Salsberry got dressed for work, the cough once again reared its ugly head. He decided to work from home and book an appointment for Sully to see the vet.
After examining the dog, Sully’s vet discussed several possible causes for the mysterious cough, including the highly contagious infection, kennel cough. However, Sully’s test results were all normal, and he appeared quite healthy.
“They gave us some antibiotics just in case it was a bacterial infection, but he didn’t have a fever or any symptoms,” Longhurst said. “So the doctor was confused.”
The couple monitored their “sick” pooch closely for the rest of the week, but Sully’s cough did not return. When it came time to check back in with the vet, Longhurst said,
“He told us sometimes animals fake sick or limp for attention or treats or special privileges.”
In Sully’s case, those special privileges included having his parents home by his side during the work week and lots of extra attention!
“We’re pretty sure he knows that we know he was faking it. So he is just a naughty faker who wanted some extra attention, and boy did he get it,” Longhurst told Buzzfeed. “We baby him so much he probably learned that if he acted weird or different someone would spend the day with him.”
Colin Allen, a professor of cognitive science at the University of Pittsburgh, weighed in on the subject saying,
“I’d be less willing to agree that it’s a deliberate deception such that the dog realizes that by coughing the owners will assume it’s sick,” Allen said. “I’m going for the explanation that it’s learned behavior.”
husband stayed home from work cuz our dog was coughing. We took him to the vet and paid 85$ for him to tell us OUR DOG WAS FAKE COUGHING
— Greg Expectations (@Kennnaughty) November 2, 2017
Longhurst tweeted about Sully’s “episode” and garnered plenty of support from fellow pawrents. Many had their own stories – of dogs and cats – faking injuries or illnesses to get what they want.
As for Sully, Longhurst says he is back to “his happy self,” having not coughed once since his vet visit!
“Sully is so so, so smart,” the dog mom said. “We’ve babied him so much he knows how to play us like a fiddle.”
H/T to Buzzfeed
Featured Images via Instagram/Kennady Longhurst
