Do Dogs Mess with Each Other on Purpose?

For a certain kind of mischievous person, there’s nothing like a good prank. Whether they’re a teen startling a friend for a viral video, a TikToker using a balloon to convince their dad the door is creaking, or Ashton Kutcher on the early aughts TV phenomenon Punk’d, something about a good practical joke sets their gears in motion. 

If TikTok and YouTube skits were to be believed, dogs share this passion as well. Search “dogs playing pranks,” and you’ll find all kinds of (honestly, surprisingly elaborate) skits. For example, there’s this one about a human who ding-dong-ditched at his Golden Retriever’s doggie door only for the dog to turn around and… leave a flaming bag of poo on his porch? It’s wild content, honestly.

But alas, as with so many marvels one can find on social media, those videos are obviously staged. Although experts confirm that dogs can often engage in behaviors that look like pranks, they lack the sense of guile required to truly pull one off. Not unlike human siblings, dogs do sometimes pester each other, but even that behavior might not be quite what you think.

If your dog loves to paw at their sibling for attention or drops a lot of toys for you to pick up, know this: Dr. Nathaniel Rakestraw, a veterinarian with TelaVets, counts that as a good indicator of their problem-solving skills and emotional awareness.

“As long as it’s not causing stress or aggression, owners should see it as healthy play,” he says. “If a dog starts acting differently or becomes obsessive with certain behaviors, that’s when it’s important to check in with your vet or an online veterinarian to rule out anxiety or boredom.”

Do dogs know how to play pranks?

Not exactly. Pranks, as we understand them, don’t quite jibe with how dogs’ minds work.

“I don’t think dogs have a knowledge of cause and effect,” says Anamarie Johnson, certified behaviorist and founder of Access to Behavior Consulting. Johnson says dogs are associative thinkers, so they don’t go through life with ideas like, “If I do X, Y might happen,” or, “If I hide here and then pop out, is my sibling going to be surprised?”  

All of that to say, your pup probably doesn’t have any big plans for April Fool’s Day. 

While Dr. Rakestraw agrees that dogs don’t mess with each other in the way people do, he also acknowledges that they can engage in behaviors that look a lot like pranks. For example, he says, “Some dogs will fake one direction during play and then dart the other way, or drop a toy and wait for another dog to grab it just so they can chase them again.”

These behaviors aren’t exactly the sorts of “gotcha” pranks humans tend to play on one another, but still, Dr. Rakestraw says, dogs “do seem to know how to create reactions, and they enjoy the game.”

Do dogs understand mischief?

Once again, not quite. This is probably the main reason they don’t play pranks.

As natural as it might be to see some of dogs’ playful behaviors and attribute them to mischief, that’s a kind of anthropomorphism — in other words, projecting human behavior onto non-humans. In many cases, she says, our dogs might perform these funny behaviors because they’ve enjoyed the reactions they’ve gotten in the past.

Johnson compares this kind of thinking to how human infants behave: “A baby makes a face, and we laugh, and the baby will make a face again,” she says.

Although dogs do enjoy outsmarting their fellow canines during play now and then, Dr. Rakestraw says that their pleasure doesn’t come from a desire to deceive. Because dogs are smart, social creatures, Dr. Rakestraw says “sometimes what looks like mischief is just them being creative and interactive. From what I’ve seen in the clinic and during online vet sessions, they enjoy the reaction more than the trick itself.”

Do dogs ever intentionally pester their siblings like humans do?

This one’s actually a yes — though, again, perhaps not quite for the reasons you’d think.

Anyone who’s had two dogs knows that they can get into each other’s faces on purpose, Dr. Rakestraw says. One will be lounging peacefully, and the other will saunter over and poke or paw at them until they react. “It’s often a way to get attention or start play,” he says. “Sometimes, it’s just because one dog has more energy and wants a response. I wouldn’t call it mean-spirited; it’s more like siblings bugging each other for fun.”

Indeed, Johnson says, this particular game can be a common complaint for pet parents whose attention-seeking dog is a little too, um, we’ll say vocal about it. Meanwhile, in cases where the noise is kept to a minimum, Johnson says, people tend to see the behavior and say, “Oh, that’s really cute. She’s pestering my dog.” 

The intentional doggie prodding should not be confused with the human sibling who won’t stop saying, “I’m not touching you” or “Stop hitting yourself” in the back of the car as a form of torture, Johnson says. The annoyance is not the end goal here. Really, it’s just a bid for attention that’s worked in the past. 

Still, Johnson warns, it’s worth watching these exchanges for one red flag: “I would recommend that pet parents, if they do see these situations where a dog is taunting another dog and you think your other dog is not enjoying it, trying to interrupt.”

Just like humans, not all dogs appreciate a good ribbing — no matter how well-intentioned it may be.