In a suburban district located in South Korea, a family lives in an apartment building. They decided to have a dog in their family. So the daughter brought home a black puppy named Mandu.
Mandu cried during the first night. The family knew that it was normal for a dog to cry especially when it is in a new environment. They expected the dog’s crying would eventually stop when the dog feels comfortable in its new surroundings.
The dog cries constantly all through the day
But months passed, Mandu continued crying constantly. In fact, the crying worsened. The dog cries when it wants attention from its owner. It cries when it’s hungry, or bored. The dog seems to have a lot of reasons to cry.
The whole building and the people on the street below could hear the dog crying. People often think the dog’s owner constantly beats the dog. One time, concerned persons reported them to a television network that features the SBS TV Animal Farm show.
The television network sent a film crew to the apartment building. They went to the apartment unit where the crying dog came from. The television crew knocked on the door expecting a mean person to answer. But a kind woman carrying a dog greeted them.
Mandu was the dog reported to the television network. But the crew found the dog uninjured and had no sign of abuse. The dog approached the crew and started to cry loudly again. The crew was baffled because they didn’t do anything to make the dog cry.
The television crew sent for their animal behavior expert to help them understand the dog. The expert promptly arrived. After observing Mandu, he told the owners that they accidentally trained the dog to act this way.
The dog gets what it wants every time it cries
The expert further explained that the dog seems to believe that it can get what it wants through crying. The family acknowledged that they try to comfort Mandu by giving it what it wants every time it cries.
This time, the family ignored the dog when it starts to cry. Once Mandu cries, the family went out of the room. After several times, the dog became silent. It must be wondering why crying doesn’t work anymore.
The expert brought a bell and placed it on the floor. When the bell rings, Mandu gets a treat. After several repetitions of the action, the dog learns to ring the bell on its own.
Ringing the bell replaced the dog’s crying to get attention. The family finally has peace and quiet in their home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixhd9SAJxEE
Special thanks to SBS TV via Youtube for the image used in the story.
