Do Dogs Have Memories?

dAs a pet parent, you may wonder what’s going through your pup’s head sometimes. And along those lines, you might start to become curious about possible memories they might have. Do dogs have memories? The answer isn’t a simple yes or no, so let’s dive into the details.

How Much Can a Dog Remember?

Memory has several different aspects to it. There are short term and long term memory, but there are also several different types of memory in addition to those. Some of these types of memories are easily recognizable, while others can be hard to prove and therefore undermined.

Spatial, Episodic & Incidental Memory

Spatial, Episodic, and Incidental memory are probably not words you hear every day, but they’re significant in breaking down the different ways we compile our memories.

• Spatial Memory is the way that animals, such as dogs, remember layouts. This type of memory assists them in navigating the world around them. It helps them find things they’ve seen before or retrieve something they may have left behind. In general, your pup has a pretty food spatial memory since it was once a crucial part of how they survived.
• Episodic Memory is the ability to think back in time and recall information from the past. Details that would fit into this type of memory would be information on when or where something occurred, and who else was there at the time. In humans, this is easy to demonstrate, but when it comes to dogs, there are arguments and evidence that support and deny the possibility that dogs have episodic memory.
• Incidental Memory has to do with details and pieces of information that may not carry any significance at the time that they occurred. Similar to episodic memory, incidental memory is easily proved in humans but not definitively proved in dogs.

Do Dogs Have Short Term Memory?

Short term memory is essentially what you’re thinking right now. It only lasts for minutes, then slips our minds. Most animals have, to at least some degree, short term memory. In comparison to humans, though, animals tend to have pretty poor short term memory. When it comes to dogs, its theorized that their short term memory could last for up to 2 minutes.

Do Dogs Have Long Term Memory?

Long term memories for dogs are memories they can hold on to and then fall back on after a period of their short term memory has ended. Dogs can hold on to long term memories for sometimes minutes and sometimes lifetimes. Our canine companions rely on their long term memory to recall desirable behavior we’ve taught them, places they’ve been to before, as well as people and dogs they’ve met in the past.

Do Dogs Have Memories of Other Dogs or Past Owners?

Just because dogs can remember dogs and people, does that mean they have specific memories attached to them as well? It’s hard to answer that conclusively, but here is what we do know. Dogs who have puppies can remember their pups for at least two years after they’ve left and joined a new home, and her puppies will remember her as well!

When it comes to people, the unique bond we share with canines is talked about constantly. There’s no doubt that dogs remember us and the loyalty they have to those they consider to be in their pack. There has also been research done that observed how shelter dogs are very quick to remember and grow attached to new people.

When it comes to past owners, it depends on when the dog was adopted. The younger a pup, the less likely it is they’ll remember an owner that they had during their youth. But adult dogs can carry memories of past owners they’ve had for much longer.

Memories are complex, so even though the answer to if dogs have memories isn’t a definitive one, there’s still an abundance of information on the specific parts we do know about. One thing we know for sure is that the bond a dog has with its owners is something special, and not something that’s easily forgotten.