Signs That a Dog is Remembering a Place
Dogs have a different way of forming memories than humans do. Dogs associate certain times of day, places, and behavior with upcoming activities such as going for a walk or getting food.
Dogs are skilled at predicting situations. The more they predict upcoming events, the better they can prepare and respond. This is part of how the bond between dog and human has grown so strong.
When you put on your slippers to outside, you may notice your dog running in circles, wagging their tail, or panting in excitement. This is because your dog has an association with you putting on your shoes and the opportunity to go outside.
Dogs have an outstanding sense of smell. When the park is within the range of their specialized noses, they may start panting, barking, or even whining in excitement.
If your dog misbehaves, your tone of voice will probably change. Thats how your dog knows they are in trouble. Your dog associates your tone of voice with anger, which makes them respond in various ways. Some dogs cower, some dogs give puppy dog eyes and look guilty, while others may ignore their owners disdain.
Depending on their breed and personality type, all dogs have their own ways of responding to things they remember.
Here are some signs you might notice when your dog is remembering a place:
These are some other signs you might notice if your dog is remembering something:
The bond between man and dog began thousands of years ago. In fact, dogs did not always look like the dogs we know and love today. They have evolved over thousands of years from their wolf ancestors.
The partnership formed over 15,000 years ago when wolves and humans figured out that they can help each other prosper. Wolves helped humans hunt while humans provided shelter and their leftover food.
At first, wolves were just part of the pack. Over time, they started especially bonding with certain humans. This moment was the birthplace of pets. Wolves were the first animal to ever be domesticated.
Part of the way wolves were able to create bonds with humans was by predicting and responding to certain situations. Dogs associate certain times of day with certain activities.
The more they were able to correctly predict specific events, the more they bonded with their humans. This meant that they would continue to be bred and those personality traits were passed on from generation to generation.
Dogs have episodic memory, just as humans do. However, dogs cannot recall those events for years after. Dogs have a short-term memory – they can remember the walk you went on a few hours ago. They do not have much of a long-term memory, which means they cant reflect on past events such as the puppy birthday party you had a few months ago.
For more positive anecdotal evidence that dogs can remember past owners, you can do an internet search for videos of soldiers returning home after a war. In many cases, these dogs have been left in the care of a friend or family member for years, yet the dog runs to their previous owner, immediately recognizing him.
If youve ever had to give up a dog, youve no doubt wondered if your pup will remember you the same way you will remember him for years. Alternatively, if youve ever adopted a dog who had one or more owners before you, youve probably wondered if your dog remembered his past owners, whether they were kind or cruel. While dog memories may not work the same as ours, both scientific and anecdotal evidence indicates that they can remember their previous owners.
Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist Patricia McConnell, PhD. has studied dog memories and has documented two different times where a dog was reunited with a former owner after being rehomed. She says she is certain the dogs both remembered their former owners, although they happily returned to their new family at the end of the visit.
Whether dogs should see previous owners is a complicated question. While Dr. McConnell says she has personally seen a few examples of times that dogs saw their previous owners and it resulted in positive experiences, she warns that not all such visits will be good.
Humans have what is known as “episodic memory,” which is tied to our sense of time, including artificial measures of time like minutes, hours, and years. We link events to other events and look back on things and say, “I remember eating at that restaurant. It was a few months after I was married.”
Do Dogs Recognize Their Former Owners?
As mentioned above, dogs will always remember your scent and how you’ve made them feel in the past by association. New studies show they may also have more specific memories of time they’ve spent with you, but that those memories likely don’t last forever.
Dogs remember in particular the people who’ve stood out in the way they’ve treated them. That means that if you’ve been particularly kind or particularly cruel to a dog, you’ll stand out in his or her mind. That also means that most dogs will remember their previous owners, as they’ve likely shown them either affection or abuse in the past. Dogs may also react in a unique way to people with specific characteristics (i.e. gender, voice, behavior), which can be indicative of experiences with a previous owner.
Your Dog Forgets You When You Leave
Unfortunately, many dogs are rehomed for a variety of reasons. There may be a change in the family’s financial or living situation, someone in the family has an allergy, or the owner realizes they simply aren’t ready to care for a dog. Many owners wonder whether their dogs will miss them once they’re rehomed. The answer is yes–dogs do miss their previous owners, but they will adjust and be happy with their new family eventually.