Can Dogs Recognize Their Family Members?

Much has already been said about communication between dogs and humans. Some studies claim that animals can understand the different moods of people, but not only. They would be able to interpret the tone in which one speaks and, even, certain words. On the other hand, over the centuries, man has learned to leverage on specific qualities of the animal in order to train the dog in the best possible way. Precisely for this reason he continues to be man’s best friend.

If we talk about communication between dogs, there are interesting questions that lack a definitive and absolute answer. For example: how do dogs communicate with each other? And, at the level of social interactions, are they able to recognize their family members?

Apparently trivial questions that someone could answer, even if with a certain superficiality. Anyway, let’s see together what the latest studies and science say about respect  .

Do dogs recognize their family members?

Dogs are likely to be able to recognize their parents, brothers and sisters. Nonetheless, this ability depends more on a socialization process than on anything else. We could say that something very similar happens to us humans. Without the information we can obtain from others and the environment, we would never be able to distinguish our family members, simply by being in contact with them. Well, in dogs it is the same.

The ability to recognize their family members depends on the coexistence they have developed, over time and in the various stages of existence. For this to work, it is essential that your dog has lived with parents and siblings  between two and four months of age. It is during this period that the characteristics of social recognition are forged in your four-legged friend.

If, on the other hand, the puppy is removed from the family before two months of life, it will be very difficult for him to be able to identify his closest relatives. To be fair, there is an infallible weapon that would allow any dog ​​to recognize the original family unit …

The power of the dog’s sense of smell

Your four-legged friend knows you are coming home  mainly because of your scent. Likewise, it is able to identify people through its powerful and infallible sense of smell. Even after years, through its precise nose, dogs can remember that they have already interacted with humans or other living beings.

It is essential to keep in mind that your pet, only through the sense of smell, will never be able to recognize its relatives. The memory of a past coexistence must also be added to the sense of smell . Returning to what was said in the previous paragraph, puppy socialization is once again of crucial importance.

Scientists have carried out a series of experiments to verify whether, in addition to the sense of smell, there is some sort of visual communication between dogs. It is already known that the dog is able to recognize the face of its owner. A process resulting from the so-called ‘useful memory’. The hypothesis that dogs can see and recognize each other at first sight is really interesting.

Recognition and socialization among dogs

It is logical to think that the identification process has a fundamental value in a dog’s life. Knowing how to distinguish friends and enemies ensures the safety of the animal and its pack. We are talking about survival, protection and defense of property or food.

It is natural to consider sense of smell and view as two instinctive weapons designed to keep themselves in the hostile environment of the past. However, canine memory and its mechanisms for recognizing other specimens are quite limited. What we can say is that everything is inherited from the socialization processes to which every dog ​​submits and which, inevitably, involves taking some risk.

For example, the peaceful coexistence between two dogs, in the same house, will depend on the management skills of the owner (the pack leader). In the moment of the first meeting, which is really crucial, it will be necessary to act intelligently. For example, avoid that dogs feel jealous and that one invades the territory of the other.

Social interaction between dogs of different breeds?

Generally speaking, dog recognition works through three key elements. First of all the sense of smell (drawing on the memory of socialization), then some chemical substances of the organisms and, finally, certain attitudes and gestures. Being a crucial element in canine existence, it is undisputed to think that there are no great differences between breed and breed. Whether or not two individuals get along will depend on their subjective perceptions.

Put simply, the breed is not a determining factor in communicative exchanges between dogs. Certainly it is right and proper for owners to learn to interpret certain postures of their dogs. Observing the way your pet moves, knowing how to read its gaze or the position it assumes, will allow you to associate moments or situations of peace, stress or aggression.