Dogs and Memory:

Have you ever wondered if your dog has a memory? If he does, how long do dogs remember?

Remedy’s Story:

You may remember my post entitled “Remedy’s Story”. When Remedy was 9 months old she was attacked by the Mastiff that lived behind us. It was one of the scariest experiences of my life. I can remember almost every detail. We did not think that she was going to live.

It no doubt was the scariest thing for Remedy too. She is now two, does she remember that scariest time or her life? I wondered.

Remedy leaving Veterinary Hospital after the attack

Most Chihuahuas would not survive an attack by a Mastiff. I’m not by any means saying that Mastiffs are evil (so hold the flood of emails praising the breed). I have friends that have sweet, friendly Mastiffs. If you read “Remedy’s Story”, you will also find that in this instance, I don’t completely blame the one behind us.

Thankfully, however, because of a few very lucky flukes, she did survive and has no lasting scars. Except maybe emotionally. Which begs the question, do dogs remember traumatic events?

A Mastiff approximately the color, size, and type of the one that attacked Remedy. They have very strong jaws.

Whenever I mention that because of this experience, she is now afraid of other dogs…especially big dogs, most people “remind” me that dogs don’t remember and don’t have a very long memory. No offense to those that wholeheartedly believe it, I wholeheartedly disagree — to an extent. For those of you, please keep reading, you’ll see why I say “to an extent”.

What do dogs remember?

They remember me after I’ve been gone awhile.

I agree that in most cases dogs have very short memories. Example, when I leave the house and 10 minutes later come back in they are as happy to see me as if I’d been gone for hours. After being in the house with them for a few minutes, they forget that I ever left.

But, if I leave again for 5 minutes and come back in, they are as happy to see me as if I’d been gone for the whole day.

What about the stories of lost dogs traveling for miles to get back home?

I’m sure you have heard lots of stories of dogs getting lost and finding their way home even miles away. I know I have heard many.

So, what’s the deal? Do they remember their address? Okay, I’m being facetious, of course, they don’t remember their address!

What about dogs who bury bones and days later know exactly where they buried them?

What about when they bury a bone in the backyard? Mine never do that though, do yours? So they bury a bone and days later they seem to remember exactly where they buried it. Is that because they remember exactly where they buried it?

Well, I can’t read dog’s minds and I’m pretty sure you can’t either. Hey, if you can, get in touch with me!

Experts chalk both of those not-so-much memories as to their extraordinary sense of smell. That makes a whole lot more sense to me. Yes, the double meaning of “sense” was intended.

What about all the cool tricks that they remember?

Studies and experiments show that a dog’s “memory” is more of a rudimentary memory rather than understanding. In other words; your dog may seem to remember the trick, but what he remembers is; sitting = treat. After a while, his sitting becomes ingrained in his little tiny (yet, very intelligent) brain and becomes more of a muscle memory.

Do dogs remember a traumatic event?

A dog has to have a certain outside stimulus to be able to remember. For instance, when a dog sees a leash in your hand he gets excited because he knows it means a walk.

Another example is if your dog has previously had some sort of bad experience at the veterinarian’s office. As soon as you pull into the parking lot he starts to get very anxious.

Which brings me back to; Remedy is scared of other dogs, especially big ones. Does that mean she remembers the traumatic experience?

The answer is no. She doesn’t remember the experience, but she associates other dogs, especially big ones with a very scary experience. So in that way, the answer is yes.

Dogs and PTSD

Can dogs have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) like humans? According to WebMD, the answer is yes. Because of the above explanation, they associate the stimuli, or traumatic experience (in Remedy’s case, dogs, especially big dogs)with a very traumatic, or scary experience.

Just like people, they can develop PTSD. By the way, just like people, dogs can also have OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). See “Can Dogs Have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?”

Has your dog experienced a very traumatic event? If so, leave a comment below and let us know about it.