Clever dog “collapses” at the end of his walks as a way to avoid going home
Most dogs love to go on walks. This gives them a chance to get outdoors, breath the fresh air, and see new things and people. Ryder, a Labrador retriever and basset hound mix, takes his walks seriously. So, when his owner told him it was time to go home, Ryder would have none of it.
Ryder pitches a fit
As Ryder’s dad told him it was time to go home, Ryder pulled an effective tactic out of his bag of tricks. Lying down, Ryder refuses to move, acting like he is exhausted. And this is not the first time that Ryder has used this tactic, laying down in this manner when they are close to home on their walks.
Ryder has become quite the accomplished actor
“He pretends like he is exhausted but every time he drops he is a block or so from our house,” Sean Tornetta, Ryder’s owner, told The Dodo. “He is in shape and can certainly make it. We’ve seen him spring and play for hours at the dog park so we know it’s all an act.”
Ryder has become quite good at the act. Every time he does it, Tornetta can’t help but laugh. This only encourages Ryder even more as he seems to get a kick out of his antics. When Ryder initially started his act, Tornetta would bend over and pick him up like a baby, carrying him the rest of the way home. Tornetta did not realize that Ryder was just waiting for such a response.
Ryder is such the dramatic actor
As this behavior continued as each walk neared its end, the silly dog got more and more dramatic. Now, though, Tornetta knows better, and no matter how convincing Ryder’s act, Tornetta is not buying it.
“The minute he realizes he is coming home or walking a path that he has already sniffed out he sneakily starts to slow down and look at us like, ‘Boring! I’ve been here and sniffed all these scents before,’” Tornetta said. “[Then he] will just drop. It is hilarious the way he does it … so dramatic as if he knows what he is doing.”
Tornetta has a secret weapon to fight Ryder’s behavior
Fortunately, Tornetta has a secret weapon against Ryder’s act. Tornetta has found that this is usually the only thing that can distract Ryder long enough to get him the rest of the way home.
“The second I start to wiggle my pocket with treats, he springs right back up like nothing happened,” Tornetta said. “It’s quite hilarious how sneaky he thinks he is.”
Trying to stop Ryder’s act
Now that Tornetta is wise to Ryder’s act, he has devised a way to try and train him out of the behavior.
“Now we hold out treats and make sure he makes it home before he gets them,” he said. “As cute as it is, we have to train him to make it home.”
As for Ryder, who can blame him for using his hilarious tactic? It seems to have gotten his dad’s attention as well as that of the rest of the Internet. Here is a video with Ryder playing dead when it is time to go home.
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This is how my dog protests coming home from a walk. This happens every time pic.twitter.com/a6el7A92Xq
— Sean (@Booooogus) September 17, 2019