Do Dogs Have Long Memories?

Have you ever been curious whether your doggo would recognise their (biological) mother or siblings? Or, if they’ve travelled to a destination many years earlier, whether they’d remember it the second time around? Like us, do dogs have long memories that go back many months or years?

Long-term memory is a fascinating thing to explore, no matter the species. So, we decided to find out exactly how a dog’s memory works – and if it does indeed extend beyond this morning’s trip to the dog park with their favourite local Dog Walker.

So, do dogs have long memories?

Well, kind of. But it’s a far cry from the kind of long-term memory that we have. Humans possess the ability to look back and reflect on specific moments in time, with advanced cognitive and emotional awareness. We can think about these memories whenever we want. Essentially, we can access them at will.

Our pooches, on the other hand, have a different kind of long-term memory. They build this memory more through association. In other words, a dog’s memory stores certain people, locations, or items based on the kind of connection the dog made with them. This type of memory is, rather aptly, known as associative memory.

There are lots and lots of examples of associative memory in dogs. Positive reinforcement dog training is a great one: every time you give your pupper a treat for completing a trick, they associate the trick with a tasty bite. 

Your pooch may also associate some of your friends or family members with being particularly generous when it comes to belly rubs. 

Or, in terms of places they’ve been, your doggo might associate the dog park with fun and excitement, or a favourite holiday spot with a certain scent.

Associative memory can be both positive or negative. While the examples above are all good memories for your dog, associative memory is also related to trauma. If they’ve experienced something bad in the past, your dog might associate that memory with certain types of people, places, or things. They might cower at the sound of fireworks. Or, they may be particularly nervous around older men in hats, or children. (If you’ve ever wondered, “Why do dogs dislike some people?” we have the answers!)

It’s believed that the more positive or negative an experience was, the stronger the association. And, often the impact comes down to the significance of the event, such as if it threatened your dog’s survival. 

Do dogs have long memories when it comes to specific events?

The power to remember particular events is known as episodic memory. It’s a type of long-term memory that is especially unique to us humans and possibly a few animals – including, we think, dogs.

As it turns out, we’re not the only ones who have wondered, “Do dogs have long memories?” Several experiments have examined dogs’ ability to recall specific events. A study published in Current Biology found that dogs have at least some element of episodic memory. But it’s more accurately described as episodic-like memory. 

You see, the researchers involved in the study found that dogs can most certainly retain memories of events. However, these memories don’t last a long time. In other words, episodic memory in dogs is more of a short-term thing.

It’s believed that dogs only keep short-term memories for a very brief period of time, sometimes only two minutes. This is why, when it comes to letting your dog know they’ve done something wrong (like peeing in the house), it’s best to discipline them in the middle of the act. If even a few minutes have passed, they’ll likely have no idea why you’re punishing them!

What about their biological mother and siblings, or even previous Owners – do dogs remember them?

We know that dogs have an incredible sense of smell. In fact, scent is one of the key things that dogs use to build memories.

To find out whether dogs retain any memories of their biological mother and siblings, Peter Hepper from the School of Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast decided to harness a group of dogs’ keen sense of smell. 

As part of his experiment, Hepper gave the dogs pieces of cloth that had the scent of their mother or siblings, as well as other dogs. Most dogs preferred the pieces of cloth that bore their mother’s or littermates’ smell.

Interestingly, Hepper performed the experiment on both puppies and older dogs (around two years old) who had been separated from their litter at 8-12 weeks of age. In both cases, it was evident that the offspring could recognise their mother and siblings. As well, the mother could recognise her offspring.

When it comes to previous Owners, the results really depend on the dog’s age. A puppy who is brought into a new home at a young age is unlikely to remember the person who bred them. But if they were adopted when they were older – say, more than two years old – there’s a good chance they’ll remember their previous Owner. This is because they built a positive association and attachment to that person. 

The good news is, if you’ve adopted an older dog, they’re likely to form a new attachment to you over time!

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