Dogs are pretty intelligent and socially perceptive animals who are good at picking up on cues. For instance, they know that when you start packing up your belongings or pick up your car keys, you are likely about to leave the house—and them.
That’s why some dogs may fake being hurt right before you are getting ready to walk out the door.
TikToker Cass runs the popular account @binkythechichi2, which has over 32,000 followers, for her pet Chihuahua, Binky. In one of her most popular videos to date, with 26.7 million views, Cass catches Binky trying to pull a fast one on her.
As she was getting ready to leave for work, she filmed Binky standing in front of the door. In the video, Binky stands with one leg lifted. His right eye is also nearly shut.
“Buddy, look at me,” Cass says to her dog as he stands in front of the door, leg trembling and eye squeezed shut. “What’s wrong with your eye?”
She then calls his bluff. “You wanna go outside—go outside and play?” she asks him.
And just like that, Binky’s leg and eye are fine. He does a little spin, eager to go outside and play.
“Oh, now you’re fine,” Cass says.
Then he squeezes his eye shut once more, and the trembles come back.
“Oh, now you’re hurt again. Oh, no,” Cass sarcastically says.
@binkythechichi2 The king of drama
♬ original sound – cass
Why do dogs fake injuries?
This is apparently a learned behavior, according to Greyhounds As Pets. If your dog hurt him- or herself in the past, they likely got extra attention from you. And, sometimes, they crave that attention and know this is one sure way to get it.
According to Applaws, there are several signs your dog is faking an injury.
- There’s a sudden improvement in their condition (Binky, we’re looking at you).
- They don’t appear injured when no one is watching.
- Their injuries come and go and are inconsistent.
- They have a history of faking injuries.
If you want your dog to stop faking injuries, Greyhounds As Pets recommends not giving in to what they are looking for—attention—and instead ignoring the behavior.
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