Does the dog have memory? Maybe the behavior and the memory of dogs are considered the most inquiring things to know about our four-legged companion. Specifically, a lot of studies had been focused on the ability of the dog to memorize objects and actions useful to do a specific task. That’s not all, the latest studies show that the dog can elaborate strategy to solve a problem and he will learn thanks to imitating. I’m going to explain more in this post.
Dog’s memory: a feature for every situation
– Short-term memory: used to remember actions that have happened right now. Our friend can forget all he has memorized once he finished doing the action. The dog uses this type of memory for successive actions: to take the ball and to put it in the dog basket, etc.
– Long-term memory: consisting of all his life’s experience and sensation regarding mostly information taken during the adolescence (until 3-4 months). All these experiences remain pressed on the mind of our dog friend and help him to recognize dangerous situations to prevent them. Note that the dog, as the human, never stops to learn but, while growing and getting old he may need to experience more repetition to learn the action.
– Procedural memory: used to do complicated actions (to find the way to come back home, to sneak an object through a crack). The process comes thanks to a map in the dog’s mind that can be adapted for any type of context.
Dog and memory: how to act
So, dogs also have memory, and any experiences leave a trace on their mind. They can be positive experiences as cuddles and food but also negative experiences that probably will stay in his mind forever.
So… Pay attention when you interact with your four-legged companion… He has memory!!!
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