Can dogs tell who your family is? Here’s What to Expect

Signs Your Dog is Comfortable or Uncomfortable with Someone

While its important to keep In mind that all dogs react to people differently, there are a few general things you can watch for. A few things you might notice if your pooch is comfortable with someone, include wagging their tail and barking excitedly.

Its interesting to note that it seems like dogs barks sound different depending on their mood – much like humans tones of voices. So, if you hear your pup barking excitedly, they probably recognize the person in front of them. They might also jump up on you and try to lick you to greet you. Their ears will be up, and their body language will likely be noticeably excited.

If your pooch isn’t comfortable with someone, you might notice them barking at the person but not wagging their tail or jumping up on them. Once theyve given the new person a good sniff, and theyve been reassured by you that everything is alright, they might leave your friend alone.

However, if your dog feels threatened, they might put their ears back and growl at the person. If your dog starts acting aggressively, its important to get them away from the new person. It is also important to note that if your dog is just excited to meet new people, they might exhibit some of the signs listed above but seem really happy otherwise to meet the person.

Here are some signs you might notice if your dog is comfortable with someone:

Here are some signs you might notice if your dog is uncomfortable with someone:

Dogs Recognize Relatives Early On

Current research suggests that dogs can recognize siblings and parents under specific conditions later in life.

If a pup spends the first 16 weeks together, theyre more inclined to identify those “pack members” later in life. Unfortunately, dogs often spend less time together as families when theyre in the puppy phase, making them less likely to remember family members later.

Unfortunately, this is all theorizing, with minimal evidence to support these findings either way.

While the answer isnt precisely clear-cut, there are several theories on a dogs ability to recognize siblings.

Dogs are likely not able to distinguish between a sibling and another pup that isnt genetically related to them.

This means a dog wont rationalize another animal as family, nor will they treat a littermate differently from another dog.

Scents and smells can sit within memory for a long time, making it technically possible for

canine siblings later in life, especially within the first few months (or years, for some breeds).

A sibling will often hold a familiar smell that likely stems from core memory.

While they may not remember the other pup as their brother or sister, they may remember the smell and feel comfortable with them.

How a dog’s brain responds to the familiar smell of a family member

Ever wondered what makes your beloved family pooch act super excited when around any of your family members?

Research shows your canine friend’s brain has another useful region called the caudate nucleus. The caudate is flooded with reward signals that get activated if something positive happens — For instance, when your pooch sees you handing them a treat, the caudate lights up with pleasure.

And when a dog smells a familiar family member, experts say the activation of the caudate is significantly higher. That means your dog’s brain will release more pleasure responses when they sniff the scent of a family member they know, hence the excitement.

You can train your dog to learn a relative’s scent, and they should remember it for many years. This is a good mental stimulation exercise and a great way to help your dog familiarize themselves with the smell of someone related to you (but doesn’t live with you, though they visit from time to time).

The good thing is, it only takes a few repetitions for our canine friends to master a new odor. And the training process is quite straightforward:

  • First things first, get the scent sample. It can be a simple item like your relative’s favorite T-shirt. Make sure to hold this sample with a pair of gloves to avoid contaminating it with your scent.
  • Put the t-shirt in a small plastic bag and place it in an open room. Ensure you have a yummy treat in hand.
  • Have your dog on a leash and lead them to where this bag is. Bring them closer to it.
  • Immediately they begin sniffing the t-shirt, reward them with their high-value treat, and heap praises. With regular scent training sessions, your dog will eventually get accustomed to this target scent.
  • Do dogs recognize their siblings, and other questions about canine emotional intelligence

    Studies have also highlighted that dogs do react favorably to the smell of their owner and their family. A dog is able to recognize the scent of their own family.