A 2013 study in Animal Cognition suggested that dogs do indeed have long-term memory, so it makes sense that they might be able to recognize their pups. But the fact is that it depends on a number of factors, like how long they've been separated.
Some dams remember their puppies even years after separation and some may not recognize their puppies at all. Dogs will remember their puppies depending on the amount of time the puppies have spent with their day. The longer the time they spent, the easier for the dam to recognize their offspring.
So obviously canine moms recognize their offspring even after they are adults and after a long separation.
Depending on when the pup is rehomed, dogs can recognise their relatives later in life. If puppy littermates remain together for the first 16 weeks of the puppy's life before being rehomed, chances are they'll be able to recognise their family later on, at least for a few years.
Female dogs will always recognize and remember their puppies after a few days without contact. This is especially true when the puppies are young. The more defenseless and weak a puppy is, the stronger the protective instinct the mother will feel towards them.
A good mother should correct and encourage." But puppies don't stay with their mothers forever. If a puppy is separated too young, it can have issues, including separation anxiety. Even if it isn't taken away too young but is kept isolated from other animals, it will lose valuable socialization time.
Dogs can hear, smell, and see babies, but they don't really know what a baby is, so it is shocking when dogs treat babies differently than adults. While your dog may not care much about adults, you might notice that your dog seems especially interested in babies.
So, yes, a puppy can definitely think of you as his “mother” — that is, his provider and protector — and develop as strong an emotional bond with you as if you were blood-related. Your puppy will also quickly learn to pick you out among strangers, both by sight and through his powerful sense of smell.
Memory Span
"Dogs forget an event within two minutes," reported National Geographic, citing a 2014 study performed on various animals from rats to bees. Other animals have long-term memories, such as dolphins, but dogs don't seem to have a long-term memory that lasts much beyond those two minutes.
They have the same feeling as a child towards their parents and so they are not just an animal but a child to us and for them we are family. If ever you wonder whether your pooch is just like your child or not, think again. For them you are their parents.
According to several behavioral measures, Coren says dogs' mental abilities are close to a human child age 2 to 2.5 years. The intelligence of various types of dogs does differ and the dog's breed determines some of these differences, Coren says.
Research suggests that dogs are able to recognize their siblings and their parents later in life as long as they spent the first 16 weeks together. Intuitively, the less time dogs spend with their families as puppies, the less likely it is they'll be able to recognize a family member later on.
Dogs can easily tell that babies are babies. Not only their size they can sense that these babies need more care and attention. Many dogs will become very protective over new babies and claim them as their own.
So in short – yes, puppies miss their siblings at first. But they quickly get over it. Dogs don't really have the mental capacity to reflect on their early-life peers, so they won't really “miss” their siblings in the way a human might.
It is the same with dogs. They show the strongest signs of recognition with previous owners who treated them well or who treated them poorly. These lasting impressions are signified in reactions dogs may have to persons resembling their previous owners.
So as long as a dog can smell, has healthy eyes, and can hear, they will most likely remember you no matter how long you've been out of their life. If you are wondering if your dog misses you while you're gone they don't have any knowledge of time but can experience separation anxiety.
But dogs (and other non-human animals) are missing something we take for granted: Episodic memory. Dogs don't remember what happened yesterday and don't plan for tomorrow. In defining episodic memory, Endel Tulving argued that it is unique to humans.
They recognize individual people, and look to their owners for comfort and protection if they are nervous or stressed. It follows, therefore, that dogs are very likely to miss their owners if they are separated for any length of time - just as we would miss them.
You may not remember what you were doing a few minutes ago. But your dog probably does. A study of 17 dogs found they could remember and imitate their owners' actions up to an hour later. The results, published Wednesday in Current Biology, suggest that dogs can remember and relive an experience much the way people do.
The frequent whining, howling, and barking or having the puppy constantly underfoot may be trying, but keep in mind that your new puppy has just been separated from the safety and security of everything he's ever known. Being nervous after leaving his mother is perfectly natural.
When you kiss your dog, you may notice signs that indicate they know that the kiss is a gesture of affection. As puppies, this is not something that dogs would recognize, although they would feel you doing it. However, as they get older they associate the kisses and cuddles with you being happy with them.
The short answer to “do dogs think humans are dogs?” is no. Sometimes, they'd probably like us to roll in the mud with them and get as excited about the dog park. Beyond that, they probably don't think of us as tall hairless doggos with a source of dog treats.
The chemical aromas identify gender and mood, and even communicate what a dog likes to eat. By simply smelling, a dog can determine if a new friend is male or female, happy or aggressive, or healthy or ill.
Many older dogs will be upset, jealous, or even angry with a new puppy, especially if the older dog has been an only dog. It's going to be important to make sure the older dog gets lots (more than normal) of attention to alleviate potential hurt feelings.
Licking is a natural and instinctive behaviour to dogs. For them it's a way of grooming, bonding, and expressing themselves. Your dog may lick you to say they love you, to get your attention, to help soothe themselves if they're stressed, to show empathy or because you taste good to them!