For most pet parents, giving their canine companions a belly rub or a scratch behind the ears is a daily ritual. It’s one of the simplest ways to bond with your pup, and many of them have their own ways of signaling when it’s time for more. Some nudge gently with their noses, others paw insistently at an arm, and a few get downright inventive when the attention stops. One viral video shows a dog who’s perfected a particularly clever technique to ensure the scratches never end.
Dog demands more scratches from owner by pulling them closer
A viral video shared on August 1 by Instagram user @tatyosa has been winning over viewers with the antics of a mixed-breed dog who refuses to settle for fewer scratches. The clip shows the pup seated at a table where his owner has rested a hand. Not content with his parent sitting idly, the canine lifts his paw and gently drags the hand across the table to his chest for scratches.
The owner obliges, giving him a few seconds of chest rubs before pulling their hand away again. However, the dog isn’t content. He repeats the gesture, pawing and sliding the hand back to where he wants it.
Each time the scratches stop, he insists on more, making it clear that affection should continue on his schedule, not his parent’s. The lighthearted standoff between the human and the dog has resonated widely, with the video quickly passing a million views and racking up more than 121K likes.
One person joked in the comments, “You have to do what the doggy wants and that’s it.” Another added, “Mine doesn’t like me on the phone. She wants all my attention,” suggesting that this neediness is far from rare.
Someone else quipped, “You stop when I say stop,” imagining the dog’s inner dialogue. A viewer described the pup as “emotionally dependent” on his owner, though in an affectionate way that highlights the bond between them. For this furbaby, scratches aren’t optional; they’re mandatory, and he’s not afraid to make that obvious.
