According to Suzanne Clothier (my idol) no. But consider this situation:

My SBT/whippet bitch knows that the best of everything is hers by Divine Right, including the spot next to me on the bed for the morning get-together.  However sometimes her royal duties delay her (scrounging toast crumbs) and Zak (the GSD) gets there first.  Usually she just gives him The Look and after a couple of minutes his nerve goes and he moves over.  But occasionally, if the force is with him, he'll brazen it out and stay put. 

Miss Thing then just lies on the floor and appears to give up ('Bed? What bed?') But after about thirty seconds she suddenly sits up, all alert and ears pricked and dashes out the bedroom. Zak, while by no means the sharpest knife in the drawer, takes his responsibilities as Big Dog and protector very seriously, belts off after her to see what's up - at which point she doubles back and seizes the coveted spot. (By the way the bed referred to is actually a futon and only 8" off the ground so all this leaping on and off isn't as dramatic as it sounds).  It takes Zak half way down the stairs and mid-woof to realise he's been had.

The first time this happened I just thought it was coincidence but it's happened three times now. So doesn't that make it a ploy, a ruse...a lie?  

 

LOL :D My crossbreed does something similar with me. We both favour one particular spot on the sofa and I think he has kind of come to resent that I can just order him off it if I want to sit there. He has now developed a 'routine' to try to get his seat back....

If I'm sitting in this particular spot, he'll come and sit in front of me and look all pathetic in the hope that I take pity on him. Now, we have 2 big 4-Seater leather sofas so there's plenty of space for him so, after a suitable period of looking pitiful, he'll go and lie on the other sofa. After several minutes, he will drag himself back onto the floor and go and stand by the door and ask to be let out like he does when he needs a wee. I get up to open the door for him and whoosh...he's past me like an 8 stone whippet and up on my seat before I know what's happened :D :D

I think he's cleverer than I give him credit for because I fall for it almost every time :rolleyes:

I know what you mean :P
My dogs have done that to each other in the past too (It's always been the bitch suggesting to the dog ....)

I tend to believe dogs are basically honest, but that doesn't stop them being manipulative sometimes ;)

Lindsay
x

It happens with my two as well - both bitches, but one a LOT older and wiser - she will bark, a very particular bark that the whole family now recognise and we sit back and watch the pantomime as Missy (6 year old ESS bitch) flies off the settee, leaving the warm patch Bonnie coverted ripe and ready for her to wander in an claim as her right....

Meg does that when murphy is on the sofa. She sits next to him and gently bites at his nose as if she wants to play and then convieniently forgets that she wanted to play once he gets off!

My old tibetan terrier was really smart.  He would bring us the box with his kidney tablets in, and would readily take them, then spit them out and hide them under his paws   then he'd be stuck there unable to get up, knowing he'd be caught out if he moved :D :D :D :D  He would also 'tell' on the cat if she was stealing food off the work tops, but not if she dropped bits for him :) :) :)

My oldest Beddie will pretend to start a game to move the other one from the 'best bed' when he wants it :D :D  the younger one hasn't sussed yet and always falls for it.  But then the youngest does pretend there are cats outside, also to gain the 'best bed' :D :D

Dogs sooo do lie!!

I popped out to the shop today, wasnt gone more than an hour and when i came back Tikaani was woooo woooooing at me and pacing back and forth to the outhouse as if to say

"Come and look at this Mum. Your gonna be soooooo mad.......I told him not to do it....."

I walked into the outhouse to see what shes trying to show me and gasped.
Theres Vagabond lying a foot deep in sawdust.It covers the entire floor and is walked through the kitchen. Hes looking at me like ..."What?"

So telltale Tikaani has grassed up naughty boy Vagabond right? Wrong!

Im reliably informed by my teenage son that they were both equally responsible and were having a great game shredding the bag while i was out!!

How come one bag of sawdust, takes five black bags to clear up???

My Mastiff is so good at getting us off the settee.
All she has to do is look at us.
We think she needs out or a drink or something to eat or just a cuddle.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We get up to give her what we think she wants and she's up.
She's a good girl and gets off the settee when told but the look on her face and my son just lets her up again. It's worse than having a 3yr old. Twists us round her little paw.
I suppose it helps having a 16yr old 'brother' who gives her everything she wants.

they tell bigger lies when they are spoilt. My baby hurt his leg quite badly the other week and was struggling to walk so i lifted him onto the sofa and brought his food and drink to him and lifted him off the sofa to go outside to the toilet. This went on for about 3 days until my OH informed me that his leg was fine from the day after he hurt it and when i nipped to the shop or in the bath he raced around the living room playing, only to get back into position when he heard me coming. The reason he told me was i was planning on taking him back to the vet for x rays as he was still not better. The little tikes ears were drooped and he really looked sorry for himself. If i tell him off now he limps!

My boy's a bit like that sometimes, he's not clever enough to go into the full routine, but he comes over and whines at me and looks very glum (even for a spaniel!) whenever he wants attention!

It's called the joys of having dogs and their company. Gives you a laugh everytime.:-) And keeps you on your toes.:-)

Ooh that is SO similar to what our cats do they try staring at the dog and if it still wont move they go and make out that there is someting really interesting happening outside. As soon as the dog moves cat has the warm spot!

Also theysteel thing when we are out and about and if I say what have you got they turn their head away as much as to say 'nothing'!

OMG Stann,

You just reminded me of our old Corgi :D  He was about 15 when he hurt his front paw (thorn, I think) and after it was healed, if he wanted attention or if we told him off, he would limp for ages, trouble is he'd forget which paw he was supposed to be limping with :D :D :D  he'd go out of a room limping with one paw, and come back in limping with the other one :D :D :D :D

Dogs are big fat liars but in the most amusing possible way. I used to have have a shar-pei that would fart and then turn round quickly and give me a filthy "was that you? look!

:) Phoebe!

Although I've known Bad People do the same thing in reverse!!