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Prank Your Dog Without Getting Eaten

If you are going to use one of these dog pranks, please read this whole page before doing so. This is a long page because first, I have an important announcement about wanting to prank your dog.

Dogs have teeth.

Nobody has the right to be upset at a dog for biting them. They use their teeth in an instinctive manner, when scared, cornered, angry, and as also when they are playing.

Most dog-biting episodes are caused by the victim, whether they know it, or not. Dogs communicate with dog body language and that may be different to the way in which we understand people-body language.

Do you know what you are saying to your dog, silently?

More importantly, do you know what it is, that they are saying to you?

We often hear that a dog 'bit without warning'. What a load of rubbish!

Dogs, like horses and other animals, will always warn before an attack. If you don't happen to see, hear or understand the warning that you were given, then that is your own fault. You were warned by the dog and you did not retreat. Ignorance has no place, in a dogs world.

You should never approach any dog that you don't know.

And you should certainly NEVER attempt to touch one. As for playing pranks on dogs?

Well, that is just stupid.

Dogs don't have the capacity to understand people humour, the way that people understand it.

While I do believe that statement, what I don't believe at all, is that dogs lack a sense of humour.

It is up to us as their companions, to know what THEIR personality finds humorous.

What YOUR dog finds to be amusing, your neighbours dog probably doesn't.

In the same way that some people don't find pranks funny, at all.

Period.

That means that they don't share our sense of humour as pranksters but by no means does it translate, that they can't take a joke AT ALL.

I believe that the same applies to pulling pranks on dogs.

One dog I have is the biggest prankster out there!

He is very well trained and will get me a can of soda from the refrigerator when he sees me take my boots off after work. He is funny because he'll bring over a dented can of soft drink (..and I can see that he dropped it) and I thank him for it and put it on the table.

I leave it there as he sits, staring at it. When I reach for the can, he stands up. He gets really excited when I move my other hand, to open it up, revealing the frothy mess. Of course, I make a big, exaggerated and playful scene about the froth all over my hands.

“Oh! You got me! What's this? Did you do that?” My dog appears to think that it was worth the effort to get such a reaction from me and so naturally, I take that, as a form of dog humor.

As with people, you need to know and understand very well what the recipient of any good pranks will react like. There are no funny pranks that involve getting hurt or otherwise, not being happy and laughing when you get to the punchline. It ruins a good joke when' you as the prankster, don't play pranks on people that share the same sense of humor.

This is why you don't pull pranks on strangers, because you never know how unstable or unpredictable, the prank victims reaction will be and someone could really get hurt.

Keep reading because there ARE pranks for dogs on this page, I just feel that for the safety of your animal, that you should take into consideration a few more things before you attempt to prank your dog.

Notice that I am not so concerned with the safety of the prankster?

This is because pranksters make their own outcomes. By a lack of homework on the pranksters part, hilarious practical jokes can quickly turn quite ugly by choosing an unsuitable victim or by not choosing safe pranks to play on them.

IMPORTANT: Dogs are not people.

They don't act like people and they shouldn't be treated like people.

They bite each others ears, when they are playing and sniff each others butt when they say hello. Do you want your dog to PLAY with you and greet you like that?

No.

You want your pet to know that you have a different idea on what you consider to be enjoyable. Your dog thinks the same thing about your so-called funny prank ideas.

Choose your prank carefully and your joke-recipient even more so.

Understanding how your pet thinks and learns is extremely important.

Dogs learn by association and they are very fragile, psychologically.

For instance, My two dogs, Oscar and Ebby. are very funny to play with.

Ebby doesn't mind being part of a prank on Oscar, but she doesn't really enjoy being pranked, at all. Oscar, well he on the other hand, doesn't mind the jokes.

Sometimes, I'll pat Ebby and pretend that she is the most precious thing in the world, while playfully pushing Oscar away, saying, “Oh Ebby! GITAWAY OSCAR! Good girl Ebby! GITAWAY OSCAR! Ohhh! GITAWAY OSCIE! Yay, Ebby! GITAWAY, GIT, GIT!” at which point, Oscar has managed to push his way under one of my arms, and he gets a big pat and cuddle, as well.

This can be an extremely dangerous prank on a dog because:

If done for too long, (..and I mean here, too many SECONDS) Oscar could become very jealous, resentful of Ebby and turn unpredictably dangerous to me, Ebby, or himself if he gets a psychological disorder or a complex over it. Complexes are dangerously easy to create, and so I don't recommend this prank for dogs, at all.

You play pranks because you like the victim, not because you want to ruin them, forever.

Again, dogs learn by association:

Even Ebby enjoys this one:

Throwing a towel over her head and playfully 'biting' her ears with my hand as I give a soft, playful 'vicious-growl'.

This is very dangerous, also.

The idea here, is that your dog SEES that it was you who covered her head and knows that you are the unknown 'attack'. Your dog will playfully bite your hand back (because you are inviting her to do so, by doing this) if she TRUSTS YOU and if she knows that it is 'fun'. If not, she WILL bite you and you deserved it for not making sure if your pranks are being played in the right manner, or on the right subject. (your dog). If your dog walks away, grab the towel so that they can walk out of the situation easily.

Walking away is a dogs way of telling you, “I don't want to be here.” You should accept it as if it were said like that, in your own language.

Sometimes, I'll bare my teeth at my dog while play-fighting and play-growling.

This is extremely dangerous to do as well, because in a dogs world, this means: “I am threatening you. Accept the challenge and fight me”.

Obviously, not a good thing to say to any stranger. Your dog needs to trust you enough to know that you would never say that. The last thing you want, is a dog to say, “OK, I accept the challenge” in the only way that he knows how.

I feel that this page has gotten long enough with hardly a mention of many pranks to play on dogs at all, so I will list a few harmless pranks and assume that you will have the brains enough to find out if they are right for your pet.

I recommend introducing new things to a dog in very small increments. Ie: before throwing the towel over your dogs head, you need to make sure that you have introduced the towel to your dog. Swing it at his legs softly, touch his body with it, throw it on his butt and back so that he knows that it won't hurt him. Only after this, should you attempt to drag it up his back and half over his head.

Please take these very small and gradual steps when introducing any pranks. or anything really, to your dog.

I am assuming that your dog is well trained, by the way.

Your dog will not find these pranks at all amusing, if you are constantly doing them.

Put a Post-It note on your dogs foot just to make your dog wonder, “Hey, what's the stupid thing you just stuck on me? ...idiot.”
Hide around a corner with a fluffy toy and make it move and 'bark'. When your dog comes to investigate, 'maul' him with the soft toy.
If your dog is sitting on the couch, slide your arm up under the cushion that he is on and move it up and down a bit.
While playing fetch with your dog, pretend to throw the ball, but don't let it go.
Hum through a long plastic hose like a mozzie and move the hose around near your dog.
If you have a closed glass door and you ARE going to let your dog inside, crouch down and enthusiastically call them in for a few seconds before opening the door.
At feeding time, put a whole lettuce in his bowl and say, “Whaaaat?” Now give him his real food.
Put a sock on your dogs back leg, just for the strange feel of it to him. If he can't take it off himself, help him by dragging it mostly off for him.
Put his front legs on a skateboard because it will be strange for him.
If he is on a blanket, put your hand under the blanket and hold on to his leg. Squeeze his leg lightly, while making a noise with each squeeze.
Pile clothes onto your dog, starting at the back and gradually moving towards his head. Ask yourself, “Where's Oscar? Where's Oscar? Oscie?” Give him a cuddle when you 'find' him.
Digging a hole outside? Shovel small loads of sand near your dogs legs as he rests in the cool sand. Gradually let the sand pile up on his legs and butt. Stop when he gets up. DON'T attempt to bury your dog, he will not find it funny and attack someone the next time they have a shovel.
Call him and run away to the other side of the house. Hide, and call him again. Let him see you running from post to post and let him catch you.
Touch your dog on the shoulder while he is standing next to you. Look away like nothing happened. Touch him again, and this time, let him catch you quickly looking away. He'll be onto you now, so when he looks away next, very slowly move to touch his shoulder again, WITHOUT touching him. Let him catch you and jump back to your 'innocent' position. Laugh and give him a pat.
Jumping out from behind a door can be a good prank to play on your dog. Call him and when he comes running to find you, jump out into sight and say, “Rahhh!” Now give him a pat.

Prank Your Dog Without Getting Eaten

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