Pet owners share how their pets conditioned them to do what they wanted

When training dogs or cats, we often use “classical conditioning,” a technique pioneered by Ivan Pavlov that links good behavior or tricks with rewards. But what many overlook is that while you’re teaching your pet, they’re quietly teaching you back.

Several pet owners have shared online the habits they’ve unknowingly adopted just from living with their furry companions.

Some Extra Sleep

Katybug86 shared, “I stay in bed an extra hour or so each morning, working on my phone, just so Gypsy can enjoy some prime snuggle time. When my alarm goes off, Gypsy rushes in, clearly happy to have a human awake to pet her. We spend about 10 minutes giving her love before she settles in close to me. Then I stay put—no moving or disturbing the kitty. On days when she doesn’t hear my alarm and I find her later in the living room, she always seems a bit disappointed.”

A Hairball Problem

Reddit user likeawildbirdofprey shared, “I have a long-haired cat who sleeps on my bed and inevitably coughs up a hairball in the early morning hours. I’ve gotten so used to it that the moment she starts to gag, I wake up immediately, place my hands under her mouth to catch the hairball and vomit, then toss it into the toilet, flush, wash my hands, and go right back to sleep. It’s definitely better than having to change the sheets.”

The Lettuce Game

Reddit user -eDgAr- shared, “I got my dog Snoopy when I was 10, and from the time he was a puppy, he had this strange obsession with lettuce. He would go absolutely crazy for it, so whenever I had a sandwich or burger, I’d share some with him. Over time, it became a habit that whenever I prepared food with lettuce, I’d grab a little extra just for him to toss his way while I ate. He passed away five years ago after nearly 17 years together, but I still catch myself grabbing that extra lettuce for him. It’s funny how his little quirk has stayed with me all these years, and honestly, I hope it never goes away because it’s a small way for me to keep remembering him.”

The Perfect Sleeping Spot

This Reddit user shared, “I sleep with my legs about a cat’s length apart. She loves to curl up right between them.” Clearly, this cat has found the coziest spot in the house.

All About Kevin

Reddit user flurrfegherkin shared, “My cat Kevin enjoys drinking water straight from the sink, so each morning I fill the bathroom sink with an inch or two of water. He also likes to ‘bat’ objects into the sink, so I place a few Q-Tips by the edge for him to push around.”

A Barking Contest

Reddit user kay_citrine wrote, “when I come home, my dog comes to the door all excited, wagging her tail, making this ‘woowooowowoo’ sound. it’s not quite howling, but it’s not barking either. I started to ‘woowooowowoo’ back to her because it amused me. but now if I don’t, the sound she makes will turn into barking (which is very noisy and unpleasant). So basically she’s trained me to have this dumb ‘woowooowowoo’ conversation with her, in order to keep her from yelling at me.”

A Hissy Fit

Reddit user MythicalGriff shared, “Whenever my cat misbehaves, I hiss at her—not aggressively, just enough for her to understand not to scratch the couch, jump on the table, and so on, since she doesn’t get the concept of ‘no.’ We adopted a kitten about a month ago, so I’ve been disciplining him more frequently. Anyway, the other day, my friend was getting on my nerves, and without thinking, I hissed at him. Everyone around me just stared, and I felt like a total psychopath, lmao.”

A Little Shadow

Reddit user xs81 wrote, “I must leave the door to the toilet open for my dog. He follows my every step. It was a bit awkward at first, but I got used to it. I’ve read here that it’s to protect me, so that’s even better. He’s the best boy. He also guards me when I shower.”

Stomp On

Reddit user whitethrowblanket added, “Haha, I say ‘stop’ or ‘don’t even start your sass,’ and my dog gives me this shocked look… then stomps her paw. I started the foot-stomping thing when she was a puppy to show her I meant business if she ignored me, and she quickly learned to do it back. Now, she’s even taught it to my toddler, who groans and stomps right back at her.”

Who’s Training Whom?

Reddit user Bb345687 wrote, “One example that comes to mind is when I was training my cat to scratch her scratching post instead of my carpet. I’d give her a treat every time she used the post. She quickly learned to expect the treat, and even after she was consistently using it, she’d come find me to get her reward. Now, I just instinctively head for the treat bag whenever I hear her using the scratching post.”

Keeping A Close Watch

Reddit user Verona_Pixie wrote, “My cat has been a huge help with my PTSD. A few years ago, we experienced an armed home invasion where they busted through the door, and now, whenever I hear loud banging or unfamiliar noises in the house, it can trigger a full-on panic. Knowing that my cat hears much better than I do and always goes to the door if someone is outside, I’ve started watching her to see if she’s reacting to the sounds before my anxiety gets too bad. It’s really helped improve my mental wellbeing.”

In Deep Doo-Doo

Reddit user kylesigley wrote, “My cat has 3 legs so he can’t bury his poop. I now follow him out when he poops to cover it for him or he gets very anxious. I’m not sure exactly when this started, but I’m officially a sh*t shoveler.”

Time To Take A Break

Reddit user arcant12 wrote, “One of my dogs has several barks: a play bark and a squirrel bark and other dog things that are normal dog barks. He also had what we call his ’emergency bark.’ The emergency bark is what he does when he thinks there is serious danger. It is EXTREMELY loud and makes us jump every time. He usually reserves it for things like the time I fell down the stairs and he scream barked for my husband to help, or when someone is in our front yard, or when he cornered a possum in the backyard. However, since my husband started working from home, this dog barks his emergency bark at my husband if he tries working past 4 p.m. My husband now has learned to stop working at about 3:50 every day to avoid that jarring sound.”

Time To Eat

Reddit user proxilia wrote, “My mother’s dog tells her when it’s time for her evening meal. As in my mother’s evening meal. The dog knows she eats after my mother, so when she starts to get peckish she goes and bugs her to start cooking. When I go back to visit, we’ll be sitting chatting and the dog will sidle in and become A Presence In The Room for maybe 30 seconds until my mother casually looks at her watch and says ‘I suppose we better think about eating.’ She’s completely unaware of what triggers her decision.”

A Feminine Voice

Reddit user Akari wrote, “I talk in a very feminine voice to my dog, She was an abused rescue and was scared of men… so being a man, I just change my voice when I would talk to her.”

Anger Management

Reddit user The_Atlas_Moth responded to the prompt and said, “Calm down when I start to lose my temper or get frustrated. Whenever he hears me sigh or swear, he runs to me, rests his chin on my arm or leg, and looks up at me with concern. This has made me so aware of how my energy can impact those around me and I have really gotten my anger under control since he started doing this. He’s one of the goodest boys and I am grateful for him every day.”

That’s His Seat

Reddit user sloppysauce wrote, “My wife just got out of the cat’s chair on our front porch after he strolled up and meowed. Crazy thing is, it’s not our cat.”

The Best Kind Of Alarm

Reddit user tck4life wrote, “I sleep with my hand off the edge of the bed cause my dog will come boop my hand when he’s ready to go out in the morning.”

He Just Wants Some Water

Reddit user letsgobuffaslug wrote, “My parents’ cat prefers to drink water directly from the tap. Every night before bed he’ll hop onto their sink and meow until someone turns on the tap for him, then when he’s done he’ll meow again until someone turns off the tap and carries him to bed.”

Speaking Cat

Reddit user pease_pudding wrote, “Me and my cat have a nice little system going. If she sees me approaching in the dark, she lets out a little meow. Then I have to say ‘it’s ok!’ to acknowledge I know she’s there. If so she will just stay where she is, and let me clamber over her.”

Throwing Food On The Floor

Reddit user hometowngypsy added, “Tossing bits of food on the floor. I actually found myself, a grown adult, throwing a piece of turkey on the floor OF MY OFFICE because I am so used to having two dogs under my feet at all times. Thankfully I realized what I’d done quickly and cleaned it up, but my coworkers probably thought I lost my mind for a minute.”

The Tin Foil Dilemma

Reddit user BasementBeholders wrote, “I open the tinfoil as quietly as possible. My cat loves tin foil balls, and whenever he hears it he runs over and looks at it longingly (despite him having at least 24 tin foil balls already). You can’t call him with a treat bag or tin, he only comes for the foil.”

Tread Carefully

This Reddit user shared a heartwarming story about her cat: “Last summer my cat had serious health problems, he had to spend some days in the animal hospital. My place was so empty without him and that was the time I realized basically I adjusted every aspect of my life to please/don’t scare/don’t hurt him. I only open the windows to let fresh air in. If the cat is closed in a different room. I always watch where I step. I hurry home from work, so he won’t vomit on the carpet from stress and loneliness because he thinks I left him alone to starve to death. I always check the washing machine, the dishwasher, the oven before turning on. And so on, I’m checking literally everything and I do everything carefully.”

Sharing The Bed

Reddit user Fafurion responded to the thread also. She added, “My cat sleeps under the blanket snuggled up to me. Even when I’m at a hotel I instinctively raise the blanket a bit so he can crawl in.”

A Bathroom Kitty

Reddit user LateFlorey added, “My kitten has taught me this new trick. If I’m using the toilet or having a shower, I have to call her in. With my financé, she runs from any part of the house to watch him pee. She’s quickly received the nickname toilet attendant.”

A Bathroom Buddy

Reddit user FhaeShine wrote, “When I get up to go to the bathroom I stand in the door and wait for my elderly cat to come in before I close the door. He likes to keep me company. If he doesn’t come in right away I’ll call for him and if still nothing I’ll start walking around the house looking for him.”

A Lucky Cat

Reddit user the-most-best-potato added, “I shuffle my feet instead of walking when it’s dark so I don’t step on my small, black cat.” That is one lucky cat who never has to worry about his tail being stepped on.

Part Of The Family

Reddit user ABD4life wrote, “When we eat at the table, my cat sits in a dining room chair and paws the table until someone gives him food. He sits with us for the whole meal.”

The Banana Agreement

Reddit user oksandwiches wrote, “Before I run in the morning I usually scarf down a banana. Ever since we got my sweet dog, I scarf down about two-thirds of my banana and he gets the last part. It’s become our little thing, an unspoken agreement.”

Those Kissing Noises

Reddit user aegis_562 wrote,”I make kissing noises at things. I used just to do it to get my cat’s attention, now I accidentally do it at everything I want. Sometimes that can include people.”