Dog Community

Do dogs recognise family to some extent?

Posted : 8/22/2006 2:04:03 AM

I've been thinking about this for a while.... I have always been greeted like a member of the family that has been gone a very long time by my mother's dogs, even though I haven't lived at home for a number of years and before that I was only home during uni holidays. Both my mother's current dogs were brought up without me in the house. I came home twice during Pyry's puppyhood, for maybe a week each time, and once during Jill's puppyhood for only a few days. Yet, whenever I come home I get bombarded with delighted kisses and both dogs will try their best to climb into my lap for cuddles. They only do it that first time I come home, and then if I'm staying for a bit, they treat me like they would any other member of the family, with much more normal greetings from then on.

At first I thought they just liked me because all dogs like me, but then it slowly occurred to me that the greetings I was getting when I came home were the kind that only family members get when they've been away overnight or longer. I have an older brother who comes home less often and I'm told he gets greeted with gusto as well, although not quite as much gusto as I do. My theory is that because both of us lived at home for all the years it took us to grow up, our smell still lingers on things around the house and the dogs assume that means we're part of the pack as well, even though we're rarely there. Another possibility is they respond to the way the rest of the resident pack greet us. But I've seen them be much more leery of visiting family that hasn't lived here in the house.

Thoughts, people? Has anyone else noticed something similar in their packs?

Xerxes

Posted : 8/22/2006 9:04:02 AM

When I came home after being in the Marines for 5 years, I was greeted by the family Akita, who had met me previously. And I was also greeted by a female peke, who had never met me. She's a barky lass normally and very dominant, however she greeted me by rolling on her back and cleaning my face repeatedly. As if I were her long lost puppy. She continues to clean my face to this day, though she's closing in on 17yrs old and she's deaf, has had one eye surgically removed, is legally blind in the other eye and she's getting a bit senile. Here's a pic of her....

Julitza

Posted : 8/22/2006 9:30:25 AM

I think they do recognize family. When I was growing up my mother owned a gorgeous Shih Tzu. Sometimes I would go live with my father for the school year, and during that time I took the Shih Tzu with me. She would not see my mother for about 6-9 months and when we got back home she would go wild!!

It was amazing how her whole body would wag at the site of my mother, it was just breathtaking. She would then romp around the apartment, looking into every room and then lay down on the couch like she had never left her home [

]

inne

Posted : 8/22/2006 9:51:20 AM

My parents' dogs recognized my grandfather despite not having seen him for 5+ years. They also recognize me every time I visit and I only visit once a year.

corvus

Posted : 8/22/2006 8:00:55 PM

That poor old peke, Xerxes! [

] What an old sweetie pie.

It's good to know I'm not the only one that's experienced this. My mum thinks close family might have a related smell. I'm leaning a little more towards the dogs picking up cues from their owners, but who knows? Maybe it's a bit of both that tells them this is family. Or something completely different.