Learned behavior is something that sticks to us from childhood.
"What have you unintentionally taught your pet?"
These doggos couldn't help themselves but to repeat the actions of their masters.
Workout Buddy
"I didn't teach my pet, but whenever I do push-ups, I have my SO sit on my back to see how many I can do, after seeing my SO do it, my dog started sitting on my back whenever I do push-ups."
When The Tables Turned
"My dog would always come up to people sitting on the couch or chair and nuzzle under your hand and give it a single lick. To stop that cold nose and wet tongue feeling , without thought, you'd pet the dog. It took me two months of this happening before I realized that my dog had trained me to give him pets."
"So I tried to be the boss and ignore him, and without fail, a single cold nose bop, and a single lick… pause… and repeat. You'd either have to give him his pets, or move your hand, because he wasn't going to give up."
"My dog trained me to give him pets on command."
The Cutest Gesture
"Whenever my dog rubbed his face with his paw I thought it was the sweetest thing, so I'd say 'awwww!'. At first he would stop and look at me intently. He probably learned that he was very cute when doing that, because at some point he started running his face with his paw to ask for food while crying."
The Key Phrase
"My dog would always harass me to play with her when I was hanging clothes on the clothes so I'd say to her 'well go find a ball then and I'll throw it for you'. Turns out she eventually figured out what I meant over the space of a couple of weeks and now does that 🤣"
Tinkling For Treats
"To help my dog learn how to be housebroken, we would give him a small treat whenever he went outside and did his business."
"Now, every hour he will beg to go out, sprinkle on a patch of grass, then run back in excited for his treat. It's getting hard to tell when he actually needs to go out and when he just wants his treat."
dog begging GIFGiphyCats take center stage here.
Irresistible Charm
"He learned to turn off my xbox by tapping the light, how to pick open the fridge for snacks, how to annoy me into letting him out whenever he wants at whatever hour, and how to get me to brush him whenever he wants. He's a spoiled brat but I love him."
People Break Down The Strangest Rules Their Parents Enforced Growing Up | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Lost In Translation
"Taught my cat (yes, cat) to raise his right arm and keep it there (I was trying to get him to give me high fives ('give me a paw"', but it just looks like he's a loyal member of the German SS saluting his Führer."
Knock And Scratch
"I unintentionally taught my cat to 'knock' on the door. She'll scratch, and scratch.. and scratch…. And scratch……. At my f'king bedroom door until I open it. Then she'll sit in my window sill, let me doze off. Then demands to be let out. Does the same thing then wants back in. I eventually figured out she doesn't like closed doors and when I would leave it open. She'll just run through the dark house."
The Treat Bag
"Our cats KNOW the sound of the treat bag. So if we want to lure them out if we're going to the vet, we just use that bag (and they get some ofc, before we go. Im not cruel!)."
"Downside is that when we use something that is not the treat bag, but is like it, they are there ASAP. And then you stand there 'What do you want?'... you look at your hand... 'Oh for f'k sake, you had some 5mins ago!'"
Dogs and cats aren't the only ones keen on adopting their owners' habits.
Sound Of Satisfaction
"So you all know when you eat something you say 'mmmmh!' when you like it? yah my Parrot does the same. Whenever he sees me eating he goes 'mmh?' like he wants some. He takes one bite and goes 'mmmh!!' and goes for more. I have no clue who taught him that, but I don't discourage it, it's too adorable."
Responding To The Signal
"My rabbit knows to clang his bowl when it's empty, it's loud enough to get my attention."
While sitting on the pot, these Redditors never find themselves alone doing their business.
Knowing About No.2
"Both my dog and my cat understand what I'm talking about when I say I have to take a sh*t. They both run to the bathroom and take up positions around the toilet. They then proceed to f'k with me or demand free massages while I'm trying to do my business, this was never intended."
Leap Of Love
"To jump on the toilet if he wants to be held while i'm in the bathroom. I like to sit in my bathroom and make tiktoks to myself sometimes, so he'll come in, jump on the toilet, then to the sink and demands to be held."
– xkvromi
Poop And Stare
"My cat has learned to be comfortable in the bathroom whenever someone else is using the bathroom. I've accidentally taught him to stare at me/others whenever someone needs to poop on the toilet."
While some of the learned behaviors are annoying, pets just want to be like you because they love and respect you so much. Well, most of them, anyway.
Whether it's turning off a gaming console or trickling out a forced pee for the sake of receiving a delectable reward, my uneducated observation is that these animals showing you what they learned by watching you is nothing but a token of affection.
Just be on alert. You never know when you're being studied.
cat spying GIFGiphy
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social