Dog's memory /recognition skills.

[Windyatthebeach]

2 incidents of the above.. Am I projecting human stuff onto my ddogs??
One sad Feb with the help of mn I placed a ddog into a rescue centre. Not my ddog but a family member's...
Boxing day of that year we saw a near identically marked ddog locally. Def wasn't him as sadly he was pts. Our dodg went nuts. Yowling and pulling towards it. All 3 of our ddogs.
Just now we have been out. Sadly out ddog1 was pts in Feb. We have just seen a same breed ddog across the road. Our usually very forward focused husky saw it and watched it along the path for some time. Was it recognition? Am I putting my emotions onto them? Was very hard seeing a look alike rotty just now -

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

They recognise people after a long time apart, for sure. And I do think they recognise other dogs - my younger one has had nothing but lots of fun with Vizslas, and when she sees one she gets excited.

[Windyatthebeach]

It's hard dealing with human feelings and ddog loss and now I am worrying about those left behind - they have been OK - we had gotten a dpuppy before pts happened so they/we are kept busy but what a hole ddog 1 has left..

[F0RESTGRUMP]

They definitely recognise by sight; my Collie’s breeder had about 5 young granddaughters who spent a lot of time with the puppies and still at 13 if she sees groups of young teen girls she pulls towards them all waggy 😁

Mostly though it’s scent. My friends dog was stolen and long story short they were reunited after 2 years. The dog didn’t show the slightest glimmer of recognition on sight or sound but as soon as it sniffed her it went crazy with delight.

[tabulahrasa]

IME yes they “recognise” dogs that look similar until they catch their scent...

“Was very hard seeing a look alike rotty just now”

Mine was PTS about 18 months ago... I still find some rotties look too much like him

[pigsDOfly]

Yes, they do recognise by sight.

My dog had a little friend in the park that she used to play with when she was young.

We hadn't seen the other dog for some time when one day a dog of the same breed as the other dog appeared across the park.

My dog started rushing across the park towards it, obviously thinking it was her friend.

As soon as she got near enough to realise it wasn't her friend, whether that was smell or look I have no idea, she stopped dead and her whole body sort of 'sunk' and her tail dropped.

She turned and walked away. It was really sad to see how disappointed she was.

[LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow]

my brother's dog knew the difference between two identical cats, even at a distance...one was his "sibling" the other a stranger cat belonging to a neighbour.

Also one of our cats had a real bromance with one of our pups...we puppy walk for Guidedogs so have a good amount of dogs through the house, and this one and idiotcat bonded so nicely, they would tussle and cosy together.
Several dogs later we got another little black LabxGret and the cat was so pleased to see him, but basically reprised @pigsDoFly 's pet's actions... trotted over with his tail up prupping and all happy only to realise that it was not his friend, and turned and huffed off.....idiotcat never really forgave the dog for not being his actual friend.

[steppemum]

definitely some sight recognition.
Out dog reacts to certain dogs, from a distance, which may be body language, but is definitely too far away for it to be smell.

He also sees us through the window when we come home and goes nuts. He responds differently when it isn't us walking up the garden path.

But on the other hand, he barks his 'warning stranger about' bark when he sees my parents car, and it is only when the front door opens and he can smell them that he recognises them. Doesn't recognise the car, or them on the path.

Just on a side note, my cat recognises the sound of our car coming down the road, and is waiting at the gate. If I borrow my mum's car it takes her a few days to work it out. When we got a new car it took her few days to work it out, then back sitting waiting at the gate as we drove in.

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

DDog adores my DF, who lives in another city so we don't see him every week. DDog isn't the sort of dog to be interested in people he doesn't know - he'll never seek affection from strangers.

DF has a very distinctive coat that he wears for dog walking, but there's a fair few similar coats out there. DF also has male pattern balding. DDog has been known to run across the park as fast as his little legs will carry him to greet someone with the same coat and hair, only to look VERY disappointed when he realises it's not DF.

On another occasion, DDog stayed with DF while I went away on holiday - I was gone for 3 weeks. DF came with DDog to collect me from the coach station after my flight. I got off the coach and decided to see how long it would be before he noticed me. He looked at me - didn't realise it was me. Sniffed my leg - didn't realise it was me. The second he heard me speak he went mental....

[vanillandhoney]

Oh, they definitely recognise each other. I'm a dog walker and I was out with my dog a few weeks ago when I saw one of my clients with his dogs. Both my dog and the other two went absolutely bonkers for each other - pulling and barking to say hello

None of them are normally ever dog reactive so I can only assume it was excitement as due to Covid they've not seen each other since March. It was SUPER cute.

[steppemum]

that reminds me, my dog is pretty antisocial. We meet the same dogs every day and he ignores them. (I actually think that is dog body language for being bottom of the social heap, bless him)
But one dog we used to throw a ball with every day. He knows her really well, and loves throwing a ball together.

After the first 4 weeks of lockdown, we had just not seen them at all. Then one day we bumped into them, and steppedog went nuts saying hello to the dog. Veyr unlike him, very cute. We see them every few days now, and he is back to pretending none of them exists!

[Windyatthebeach]

I have heard that sighthounds recognise other sighthounds(?). We have a newish (huge) dpuppy and the other day a docile looking off- lead greyhound bounded over! The owner was somewhat mortified and said his dodg never does that!! They looked pleased to see each other and she is usually a jibbering wreck if a ddog gets too close - no chance for much socialising atm sadly.

[tabulahrasa]

“I have heard that sighthounds recognise other sighthounds(?).”

A lot of ex racers don’t see any other type of dog until they’re rehomed - so definitely have a thing for other greyhounds.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

Oddly enough I was listening to a podcast this morning which talked about this. One bloke said he had a Mal which would play with any dog but got particularly excited when it saw another Mal. There was a discussion about whether this was because the dog was brought up doing protection sports, predominantly with other Mals so linked them with fun stuff, or whether there was a other reason.

We had a terrier who, as a puppy, was bitten by a member of another terrier breed. If I saw that breed out and about, until she got too old and blind to notice herself, I had to put her on the lead because she would happily run 200 yards to exact her revenge. Trying to explain to someone whose tiny dog is quaking as your small dog is doing her gremlin-on-speed thing at the end of the lead that yeah, sorry, she hates them, one bit her once, like, um, ten years ago, but she bears a grudge... Not amongst my proudest moments.

[Windyatthebeach]

As a dc our collie cross hated black ddogs after a big lab bit her as a youngster. It was all black ddogs though, not as specific as a lab!
I know ddogs are big on association - I just had to pick up a pair of socks. Ddog knew I only ever wore socks with wellies..
She sat glued to the spot until it was time to go!!
Current dpuppy is picking up on my hoody and going out!!