A new study finds that dogs can remember events just as good as very young children. Researchers say they can remember something they did an hour ago and repeat the action when asked to.
Scientists say that their ability to recall what they did during the day makes them just as clever as young children. Researchers from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary trained ten dogs to obey commands and perform simple tasks, and then asked to do the actions again when told to "repeat."
On a normal day, the dog owners surprised the dogs with the "repeat" command. First, they waited for the dog to perform an action instinctively. When told to "repeat" 20 seconds later, nine of the ten dogs in the study repeated the same action. After a minute, seven were still able to do so.
They found that half of the dogs could repeat their latest action even after an hour in a pet carrier. According to the authors of the study, this shows that dogs are mindful of their actions. The pets were able to repeat actions they had not been previously trained to do, but successfully did when told to "repeat."
According to the lead author of the study, Dr. Claudia Fugazza, this instinct in dogs does not come from training. Instead, it results from dogs being a social species that have evolved due to hundreds of years spent with humans.
The full findings of the study were published in the journal Scientific Reports on June 26, 2020.
Do Dogs Have Memories of the Past?
Dogs don't think the same way humans do. According to research, dogs may not recall things and events directly, but they do have associative memory. Canines remember people, experiences, and places based on mental connections they have with them.
Furthermore, they may have some sort of episodic memory, where they recall specific events from the past. A recent study suggests that it could be possible, but certain limitations still apply for that kind of memory in dogs.
Experts say episodic memory has implications on one's "sense of self." Memories can contribute to how individuals see and understand themselves and their worldly experiences.
In a 2016 study done at the Family Dog Project at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, researchers discovered that dogs could remember events they observe. However, the researchers say the dogs don't retain those memories for too long.
Moreover, when it comes to long-term memory, researchers say that dogs will recall events that were strongly positive or negative. They are also believed to remember memories that had a major impact on the dog's ability to survive.
Do Dogs Remember Bad Experiences?
According to experts, dogs can form negative associations that can be interpreted as "bad memories." For instance, a dog could act afraid when in the waiting room at the vet's office.
Later on, the dog might not remember what exactly scared it, but the animal now associates the waiting room with such fear.
Negative associations could still be replaced with positive ones but could be hard to do, especially when the dog strongly associates the situation or place with fear.
