Dogs do not recognize themselves in a mirror...

[Safire]

Originally Posted by LuvtheCooper

I have always found this interesting. Mine both refuse to look at themselves in the mirror. I will hold them up to it and they can see themselves and me and they simply will not look at it, they will turn their heads away everytime. I don't know if it scares them or what, they just act somewhat odd about the whole thing, so I just don't do it anymore.

That's what my guy does too - won't look at himself in the mirror. But he looks at my reflection in the patio door all the time (if it's dark outside and I'm standing behind him), so I really do think he understands it's a reflection. I've tested him by pulling out a cookie when he's looking at my reflection, and he immediately turns and runs towards me.

[Roseanderson]

Mine too refuses to look in the mirror so I don't try.

[Yorkiedaze]

I put a mirror on the floor in the computer/play room ever since I got my first Yorkie, Zada. I now have three girls and they don't pay any attention to it. Today I was holding Azrael up to the mirror in the breakfast room and at first she just turned her head away untill she spotted Razael in the mirror, then she looked at me then herself then turned her head to look directly at me then back at me in the mirro. I have no idea what she was thinking, but I sure would have loved to.

[luvnmymax]

My grooming salon used to be a dance center. So when I moved in, I left all of the mirrors in the grooming area...my grooming area is pretty much floor to ceiling mirrors all along one wall. Some of the dogs will bark at themselves, some try to play with the doggie in the mirror, and some just ignore it!

[stovesj]

Originally Posted by Judy in Waco

I do mosaics and have a 5 foot mirror I am working on. I put it sideways on the floor by my work area. Usually Gizmo just ignores it, but sometimes he will catch a glimpse of himself in it, and I think it scares him. He will bark and bark until one of us comes over and pets him. I think that when he sees the doggy in the mirror being petted, he decides it's okay. I honestly don't know if he realizes that it's him or not.

It's interesting to think about.

OK< I have a quesstion for you. Are you make a mosaic mirror or frame? If you're making a mosaic out of mirror I could understand why Gizmo would be upset. He would see himself in little pieces!!! Terrifying

[stovesj]

Very interesting and varied responses. I don't have any mirrors down where my pups can see themselves. Guess I'll have to pick them up and see how they respond. When I did this with Gracie, which was a while ago, she didn't seem to be the least bit fazed. Next I'll try the yawning experiment. Gracie yawns all the time, but I know she's not stressed when she does it. Heck.... she has nothing to be stressed about. Another thing if find interesting is their ability to tell time. We always feed our pups at 5PM. If we're the least bit late, they are at our feet staring at us!!! And they don't own watches!!!

[SANDYSAND]

how do you know they -cant- see the mirrors... maybe there trying to confuse you!

[Harley_chik]

I have to post this story. When Harley, my Rottie was about 7 months old he was rolling around on the living room floor with a squeeky. At the time we had a tv stand with glass doors over the shelves for the vcr/dvd. At some point Harley saw his reflection and barked, quite loudly. It was the first time I had ever heard him bark and it scared the begeezes out of everyone including Harley. Picture a huge Rottie pup scrambling to his feet and jumping in mom's lap(scooby doo style), while the little dogs and all the cats went flying out of the room, LOL. I was too funny. I had a full length mirror in the hallway and a few months later the same thing happened. Those are the only two times Harley has ever barked in the house. I'm pretty sure he doesn't recognize himself.

[SANDYSAND]

My Kacy makes eye contact with me through the mirror (then looks away; he's a submissive dog). He watches in the mirror if it's more convenient than turning around, and clearly understands how a reflection works. I've seen other dogs that completely ignore mirrors.

I think it has less to do with mental capability than it does with motiviation. Some dogs just don't see any point in looking at reflections, I think. IMOP...My Kacy will stare into mirrors, he is totally in-love with himself but he ignores the TV completely. Unless he is watching Animal Planet ot the DW!

[mistyinca]

Originally Posted by stovesj

A couple of days ago I read an article in the newspaper about a dog study. The study was to determine if dogs were capable of showing empathy to humans. While watching a human yawn 76% of the dogs also yawned. Then they mentioned in a prior study that dogs do not recognize themselves in a mirror. I'm still puzzled over that one. What does the dog think when they look in the mirror and see you holding a dog. If they don't recognize themself then do they think you are cheating on them??? What do you think? Does your dog seem to know their own reflection?

Dogs don't have any concept of themselves. In fact, they don't know themselves from their pack. In other words, they just know the pack to which they belong, and that is the closest to a sense of personal identity they have. You might could take that to mean that they see themselves as people, since at home, your family is their pack...

[lilbuffalo3308]

When i hold Buff by the bathroom mirror, and i hold him close and i say "give him a kiss" and Buff licks the mirror twice. its so darn cute!! he will do it over and over and over again.

[Lovetodream88]

I think Callie understands the mirror because we have like 5 long mirrors in the kitchen and she will look in them and sometimes see someone and then turn around and look at who she saw in the mirror its kinda funny!

[Katylou]

I'm pretty sure Katy recognizes herself and me in the mirror. She watches us in the mirror when I am cooing and loving on her. She loves her neck nuzzled. She knows.