Knowledge about pets is often underestimated by many people, and among the least understood aspects is their remarkable ability to remember. In particular, dogs, loyal and affectionate beings, have an impressive memory that can be decisive in their relationship with human beings.
It is essential to understand that dogs have the ability to remember a person throughout their entire lives, which emphasizes the importance of making a positive impression through petting and playtime.
AniCura AB, an animal hospital and clinic company, reported that dogs are able to divide their memory into short-term and long-term memories. The first lasts just a few seconds, while the second is of an associative type.
These companions live in the "now." This is why when they are breaking something and they see that its owner enters the place where they are, they leave the object and greet with great joy. Although they may come to know that destroying household objects is wrong, they are not able to retain the information of what they have just done.
This brief ability to retain the actions they perform is called short-term memory. You can train a dog with repetitive exercises, but they probably won't remember what they did ten or fifteen minutes ago.
On the other hand, there is long-term memory or memory associated with images, smells and noises. Dogs can remember a person for a lifetime, even if they have seen them only once, because they associate them through images, smells and the sound of the voice. This memory can be positive or negative, depending on how you behave with the animal.
If you scold your dog, he will probably remember it forever. However, it can be compensated with caresses, quality time, games and gifts.
In addition, they have a heightened sense of smell and associate odors with feelings or memories. Dogs begin to bark and jump with happiness when the owner is near the door of their house, because even if they have not seen him, they smell the perfume or distinctive aroma of that person.
