Dogs have different memory mechanisms than humans. For one thing, it’s a short-term memory that only lasts a few seconds, so it will forget what it ate yesterday or what exactly it bit off the leg of a chair a while ago. a few hours. On the other hand, their long-term memory is associative in nature, which is best understood with some examples:If on the order “sit” I sit down, they give me a delicacy; A trip to the vet is a place where they give me a shot or touch my stomach when it hurts, so I don’t want to go back there; That the neighbor’s dog that I usually hang out with always tries to bite me, I’ll be on the lookout and when she comes near I bark at her; A man abused me, so I must avoid all men, because they can hurt me.
As we see in the examples, these are simple and understandable associations.
Recent research confirms that they can also have a certain episodic memory, much more complex, allowing them to learn basic gestures by observation and to replay them in the short or medium term.
How many can they remember?
For everyday things of little importance, we talk about seconds or minutes, but dogs are very good at making associations (as in the examples above) and, especially with very negative stimuli, it is strong possible that they will remember it for the rest of their lives. .
Do they remember doing something wrong or leaving the ball in the road?
These are memories that don’t last more than a few minutes. Many readers will think “when I come home and he’s done something wrong, he knows it.” Reality shows us that our dog evokes different associations. For example, if he tends to defecate at home, he associates this with the fact that when the house smells of feces, his master gets very angry. This is why they adopt a submissive position or hide, but do not really know the reason for the anger.
How do they remember their owners and for how long?
This fact is difficult to study, but we constantly come across cases when a lost dog recognizes its owner after a long period of separation. Thus, evidence suggests that they are able to remember their master for the rest of their lives, especially in cases of strong and lasting bonds. The mechanism remains associative: recognizing a smell, a voice or a face (probably much less) and associating it with the person they like so much.
Can they remember who or where they were many years ago?
Probably not. It will depend on whether that person or place left their mark, for better or for worse. Negative associations of fear or abuse tend to be remembered longer because it is an essential coping mechanism.
See also: Foods that should absolutely not be given to dogs.
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