In a viral TikTok video, a Rottweiler refuses to eat his kibble until his new owner says the key word—but she doesn’t seem to be getting it right.
Shared on Wednesday by @dstangalang, the hilarious clip shows the pup patiently waiting for his owner to say the word so he can start eating, refusing to take a single bite of his food until she says it right, all while drooling over the kibble.
“Our new puppy’s previous owner prayed with him before he ate. I don’t think I said it right,” the poster explains in the clip, as she repeats the word “Amen” repeatedly with different tones and variations, failing to convince the pup.
After countless unsuccessful tries, the poster just ends up picking up the bowl and telling him “okay buddy”—which might not have been the exact keyword, but was indeed enough to signal the pup he could start eating.
“Amen is supposed to cue him to eat. How else could it be pronounced!?” she asks users in the caption.
With an intelligence comparable to that of a toddler, dogs can learn an average of 150–200 words, though some have been trained to recognize over 1,000. They are also experts at reading body language, facial expressions, and emotional cues.
With consistency and repetition, you can expand your dog’s vocabulary. It’s important to use specific words for each object or action—saying “ball” instead of the general term “toy,” for example—so the dog can form clear associations.
Using positive reinforcement will make the process easier and more enjoyable. When your dog correctly responds to a word, reward them with treats, praise, or playtime, encouraging them to repeat the behavior.
The video quickly went viral on TikTok and it has so far received over 5.7 million views and 676,200 likes on the platform.
One user, Bob, commented: “The trigger point is you touching the bowl nudging it toward him, [because] you say ‘ok’ a few times. So, ‘amen, ok buddy! (Nudge bowl).”
Kris from Jerz said: “Poor boy drooled a gallon waiting to eat.”
Stitchmutt Studios added: “The drool omg. He’s so well trained for this behavior that he didn’t wanna break early.”
Newsweek reached out to @dstangalang for comment via Instagram chat. We could not verify the details of the case.
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