A dog owner has shared with Newsweek her pup's hilarious reaction to not getting enough attention.
Herbert the cocker spaniel lives in Adelaide, Australia with owner Aislin Doyle, and when she stopped petting him, he had a hilarious response—slapping his owner with his paws.
"He will always slap me if I'm not paying him attention," Doyle told Newsweek. "He likes to accompany the slap with grumbles and whines."
The moment was caught on camera in a video on TikTok that has now gained viral attention.
According to Doyle, the attention hiatus lasted a mere two seconds, but for Herbert, it was evidently two seconds too long. With more than 1.1 million views, the video left everyone in stitches.
"My Springer spaniel is the exact same, very grumpy when he doesn't get the attention he wants," said one commenter on the viral post.
While another viewer agreed and said: "My Cocker does the same." Another joked: "this is so cocker spaniel."
The American Kennel Club (AKC) officially recognized the Cocker spaniel as a breed in 1878, and today they are the 30th most popular breed in the U.S.
Famed for their loyal, loving and outgoing personality, the cocker likes to be around their owners as much as possible.
They also love attention and many will ask for it using barking, pawing, or whining to demand attention.
It is believed their natural desire for attention comes from their original breeding. Bred as hunting companions, close connections with their humans and loyalty were essential traits.
"Can confirm this is normal cocker behavior," laughed another TikToker.
While another dog owner said that their dog also does this to get attention: "My dog does this except he's a 110-pound dog with paws the size of hands. I have bruises and punctures all over me," they said.
This isn't the first time Herbert's natural sass has gained viral attention, last year when he was just a puppy, he left people laughing when he argued with his owner during crate training. The video with millions of views on TikTok captured the moment Doyle was trying to get Herbert used to the crate, but he wasn't impressed and resorted to "barking back."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years ... Read more
