Sam has another message. Being the smart little guy that he is, he knows all behavior happens to get a consequence. If that consequence is of value, then the behavior is going to happen more often and may even get stronger. Words can not fool him. If his attention seeking behavior worked to get him attention in the past, you betcha he is going to try it again! Wouldn’t you?
If your pet is continuing to do a behavior that you do not like,ask yourself, “What is reinforcing it?”