Do dogs recognise each other?

[breadedchicken]

Do you think dogs of the same breed recognise each other and react accordingly? My Springer spaniel always seems extra delighted to meet another springer. He's thrilled to meet any friendly dog but seems to go particularly bananas when it's one of his own kind.

Golden retrievers always make a beeline to each other. It's a joy to see my goldie's tail wafting slightly faster because he's spied another. They're joyous together!

Slightly off topic (and what a fabulous topic it is to read) do dogs recognise dogs they have met before on a walk or remember dogs they have played or stayed with?

We've recently moved to a new area so getting to meet all the local canines and sometimes come across one we've encountered before but weeks ago and I don't know if my little lad knows we're already acquainted with 'Milo', 'Rupert' or 'Waffle'.

I’m certain they do @Ruralbliss ! Our pup definitely gets more excited when we meet certain dogs he’s played with before 😊

My dog has never met another of his breed but he despises brown and white springer spaniels. He was ‘besties’ with one in our village, when they were pups but they seem to have had a falling out with each other lol and now he seems to think all other brown and white springers are this particular dog and goes mad at them. He adores all others dogs though.

He’s fine with black and white, brown or black springers though!

Definately, and they tend to prefer dogs of their breed and same colour. Mine also has his friends that he meets on walks that he's known since he was a puppy. He's not too keen on French Bulldogs as one had a go at him when he was younger.

Yes , definitely. Our last Labrador was attacked by a GSD as a pup. Throughout her life she was give all GSD’s a very wide birth. Any other breed she would walk confidently past. Other labradors we’re always treated as long lost family.
Our current Labrador has a best friend ( my best friends Labrador), they just love each other’s company. We went on a group camping weekend last year and another group arrived with 3 labs. It was just like when children form a big gang in a campsite. The five labs spent time playing together before returning to their groups pitches.
Before anyone starts the field we camped in was massive and remote and only our two groups were camping in it.

This is literally the best thread ever! Thanks for starting it OP

Another spaniel owner here! Definitely recognises other spaniels and plays with them and any spaniel cross in a different way. Has a Lhasa Apso friend, gets very excited when she sees her. And so disappointed when she sees other Lhasa's who are not her friend!
Also likes playing with labs (but weary of black labs), doesn't like GSD's with the exception of one ago she met when it was a puppy, so I don't know if that, some how, made a difference

It's been a pleasure to read all these happy, funny doggy stories. Best pets ever

I was thinking of this thread the other night! We were out walking ChenPup and met his bestie - the absolute joy on their faces when they spotted each other was so lovely, and they then spent a happy half hour chasing each other and swapping sticks. Lifted my spirits no end

our cockerpoo loves another cockerpoo (as long as they aren't too bouncy) and absolutely hates German Shepherds.

We have my sons dog (staffie) and a friends did (half staff/half whippet-whippie?)
they live almost 200 miles apart but when they are together they are like twins-naughty toddler twins
one will do something to wind up the other,so the other will do something to piss him off,so the first dog will do something to get back at him and so it goes on
go to tell them both off and it’s like they are one dog

oddly both dogs love all other dogs but neither seem that fussed about the same breed
together though,they really are the gruesome twosome

So funny, my one absolutely love meeting one of his kind, unusual breed so doesn't happen very often. Otherwise he absolutely loves little white fluffies and cockapoos. Hates GSD's, Huskies and Dobermans. Small proper staffies are ok but not any bigger staffie crosses, he is not breedist at all 😚

Yes my terriers always get very very excited when they meet another one of them. They get excited meeting most dogs tbh, but much more when the same breed.

I don’t think my girl ever saw any other dog who looked similar to her but she would always laugh at big furry dogs. She would pull her top lip back and it would quiver a little then she would sort of shake with laughter whilst looking between me and the dog.
if she met a puppy she would be so careful and try to put them at ease.

Ultimately she wanted to play with everyone and be everyone’s best friend.

My Great Danes always recognised others and were pleased to see them. My stepdaughters young Hungarian Viszla also recognises his own breed. Really miss not having dogs, too old now 🙁.

My cocker spaniel loves other spaniels and has a little group of friends he plays with on walks. He doesn’t like staffies after being bitten by one and he absolutely hates GSD for some reason. He was beside himself with excitement the other morning when we met a black show cocker puppy the same as him. Most round here are springers or working cockers.

Yes my lab loves, loves, loves labs. Always makes a beeline. Mind you she's generally a fan of other black dogs in general.

Yes, I've thought this for a while. My GSD gets a waggy tail when she sees another GSD, she also has a virtual doppelganger that she can spot a mile off. My late Border Collie would go loopy (more so) when she met another BC.

I think it's weird as it suggests a degree of self-awareness that I didn't think animals had. How do they KNOW they're a GSD, BC or whatever? She does sometimes see herself in the mirror and doesn't react so I thinks she knows it's her, not another dog but I can't see how that would translate into seeing another GSD and thinking "Long snout, check. Pointy ears, check. Big teeth, check. Yup that's like me, set tail to wag mode"!

My dog is a Chihuahua/Terrier mix. She gets super excited if she sees Chihuahuas or Terriers. The terriers are always delighted to play with her, but the Chihuahuas tend to be a bit sniffy (probably because she's a bit bigger/sturdier than them and full of terrier energy!)

She also has a bestie that she met on local street walks, plus various dogs that she meets over the park that she loves to play with. She loves all other dogs, but is super excited if she spots one that she knows well and has played with often.

I don't know to be honest. We don't meet many other Jack Russells. He loves a black lab though and adores every one he meets!

My working labs like other working gun dogs, not so much the pet types. I also sometimes wonder how they know they have so much in common and do the same job.
As a puppy at her first game fair, my older lab was barked at by a Boston terrier, which left her with a lifelong hatred for the breed, even getting very cross when one appeared on the TV.

Mine hate dogs of their own breed!

Its very annoying as I want to go and fuss the friend but they absolutely do not 😐

I am allowed to talk to smaller dogs though!

When I adopted my old street girl she had an instant dislike of huskies and shepherds. Loved frenchies though