Thanks, I needed to kill several hours.
Our latest rescue came from a stable situation (well, until things changed and he ended up in rescue), so he didn’t have many bad habits. But I think he must have a yard to do his business in, because I don’t think he was walked outside much at all. I’ve been curb training him, and every time I say “Stay” and he stops, I tell him what a good boy he is. I can see in his body language how it affects him. He gets a little extra wiggle in his step. And he’s very good now at stopping at curbs.
I’m a huge supporter of positive reinforcement.
You’re confusing dogs with a certain segment of the human population. Dogs have risked their lives – and sometimes sacrificed their lives – for their humans.
The only part of that that is true is that they do love hamburgers. When I had my Bernese, any trip to McDonald’s always included a kid’s cheeseburger, without the pickle. I would hold it in my hand while he took great big chomping bites out of it. 
I grew up on a farm and let me assure you 99% of animals will sell you out for food.
We like to anthropomorphize our pets and think “my dog would never do that,” but they are still animals first.
As for why we ask “who’s a good boy” is we want to reward the dog or have the dog like us. Asking a dog that question in a certain voice is going to result in the animal showing “me, I’m good” response then we can pet it, praise it or feed it.
Which is the behavior WE want to project on the animal. You notice we don’t ask, “Have you been bad?”
“They”? So are we. “x” would never do that reminds me of Charles Dickens’ comment about news reports that there was evidence that surviving members of the doomed 19th century Franklin Arctic expedition had ultimately engaged in cannibalism. He opined (paraphrasing) that no English gentleman would be capable of such monstrosity. We are all animals, but the key point here is that the bond of attachment and loyalty between people and dogs is, in my view, unparalleled in the relationship between any other two different species. This is a behavioral and psychological fact that is independent of our natural tendency to anthropomorphize and project our own emotions.
The In-n-Out secret menu item is called the Flying Dutchman. It’s just a hamburger patty with a slice of cheese melted on it. It’s what we get for our dog(s).
While we’re on the topic, when/where did dogs learn to whine like a little baby to their owner in order to get something they want or avoid something unpleasant like a bath?
I was idly thinking today about the meme that dogs love their people only because they are a source of food.
Mrs. J. has probably served 90-95% of all the meals our dogs have received. If food was what overwhelmingly mattered, they’d have showered her with 15 times the affection. And yet they’ve bonded with us equally.
But we don’t leave hamburgers on the kitchen counter.
You don’t have my dogs:D
The question isn’t why we praise dogs to their faces. It’s why we put it in the form of a question. The obvious answer is that we all think our dogs look like Alex Trebek.
BoJack Horseman handles this even more brilliantly. Mr. Peanutbutter’s “dogginess” is such an inherent part of his character that it bleeds through, and is completely believable (in a world of human-animal hybrids, anyway…)
ETA: Dude, READ THE WHOLE THREAD. Already covered above!
Eh. Years ago we had a pit bull/hound mix and a little street pit bull who would ignore a nowl of dog treats in the coffee table all day while we were at work, but be delighted to be given one by hand.
Our current girls, a pit bull and a feist/pit mix, are very interested whenever we eat in the couch using tray tsbles…but when we get up to go to the kitchen, they follow the humans rather than poaching off our tray tables.
I think you’re underestimating the pack dynamics. Dogs love food, but they also love receiving food from the pack. It triggers other rewards for them. “I’ve been good, the pack is pleased. We have good hunting grounds. I knew I understood what’s going on!”