There are too ways to make a dog do something.(not here to argue the effectiveness of either.)

#1 - When he does it right you reward him with a treat.

#2 - When he doesn't do what you want you make him fear you by smacking him.

So this guy lives in fear... of a lie... and he'll do anything to make the fear stop? Sounds like #2 to me. He's just a trained sheep doing what they want him to do.