They're not being vain or admiring themselves. They can't recongize the dog in the mirror as themself because they have no perception of their own appearance. They see the "other dog" and get very excited. It's actually a very intersting distinction. For instance, monkeys cannot recognize themselves in the mirror, but great apes (chimps, oraguntan, gorillas, etc) do. Monkies try to attack or play with their reflection where as great apes groom themselves while watching their reflection. I find the distinction in the way the brain works from different levels of evolutionary development faschinating.
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"Envy is ignorance, imitation is suicide." |