Do Dogs Have Good Memory? Interesting Findings Based on Research

Will My Dog Remember His Training?

"My 4-year-old German Shepherd went through training, and I continued to work with him daily for another 5 months or so. Then, because of the surgery I had on my knees, I couldn't continue. Now that I can walk again, will I be able to go back to training? Has he forgotten everything? Do I need to start at the beginning?

He knows "sit, down, and stay" but doesn't stay for long. I would say that his recall is about 80%. I worry the other 20% that he won't come when called. Any advice would be more than greatly appreciated. Thank you!"—Janet

Memory Retention Is Affected by Several Factors

Hello, Janet. Thank you for getting in touch in regards to your 4-year-old German Shepherd dog and your concerns about him forgetting his training.

Now that you are back on your feet after surgery and eager to resume training, it makes perfect sense to wonder how your dog will respond to previously learned cues after a break.

Several variables must be considered when it comes to dog memory retention and their ability to recall previously learned behaviors. We must, therefore, take into account things such as age, breed, the level of training received, and the dog's physical and emotional state.

The topic is surely fascinating! Let's dig deeper into the subject of memory retention in dogs based on current research in the field of animal behavior.

Do Dogs Have Good Memory?

In the past, the cognitive abilities of animals have been greatly underestimated. Aristotle used to believe that because animals are not capable of sophisticated thought processes, they were incapable of possessing memory.

We have certainly come a long way from these ancient beliefs. We now know that animals are not only capable of remembering, but they are even pretty good at it.

The mere fact that an animal can learn to perform a task is solid proof that memory is at play because learning would be impossible without some memory.

A dog's ability to remember things is further proven by several behaviors that are linked to the dog's evolutionary past. Dogs wouldn't have survived as a species if it wasn't for their ability to retain information.

What Types of Memories Are Observed in Dogs?

Dogs, just like humans, are predisposed to form memories, but not all types of memories are created equally. Following are some key types of memory that have been observed in animals.

Associative Memory

Associative memory, as the term implies, consists of memories that are based on associations. Dogs may form associations between different stimuli (as it may happen in classical conditioning), and between behaviors and their consequences (as it may happen in operant conditioning) and memorize such associations.

From a classical conditioning perspective, dogs may learn to associate the click of a clicker with a treat, or the sound of the doorbell with guests. Initially, these auditory stimuli have little to no meaning (they are neutral), but through repeated exposures, dogs start to anticipate the reward or the arrival of guests in response to these sounds.

This demonstrates a dog's ability to remember learned associations between one stimulus and another formed through classical conditioning.

From an operant conditioning perspective, dogs may learn to associate the behavior of sitting with the positive consequence of getting a treat or eliminating in the yard with getting a cookie. Initially, the behavior of sitting or going to the yard to potty was not meaningful until the dog associated these behaviors with pleasant consequences.

This demonstrates a dog's ability to remember learned associations between a behavior and a consequence formed through operant conditioning.

Spatial Memory

Spatial memory, as the term implies, involves retaining information regarding the location of objects, landmarks, or resources within the dog's environment.

Dogs use their spatial memory to navigate their surroundings. Dogs who become blind rely on their spatial memory to navigate their environment without repeatedly bumping into things. Interestingly, their whiskers aid them too!

Prior to domestication, dogs relied on their spatial memory in order to locate food, return to a cache site, hunt, or search for shelter and water.

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In domestic dogs, we may see remnants of this ability when our dogs cache their food/toys in an area of the yard or under a couch, and the dog readily finds it.

Episodic Memory

Episodic memory, as the term implies, consists of recalling specific events or experiences that have occurred in a specific place at a particular time. There is the belief that, in order to be capable of experiencing episodic memory, one must be capable of representing the self in the past.

While this may be possible among humans, it has been assumed that dogs lack a sense of self and, therefore, the cognitive ability to experience this type of memory.

However, a study by Fugazza has revealed that dogs are capable of demonstrating episodic-like memory when asked to repeat their own spontaneous actions after delays, proving that they are capable of forming mental representations of past actions, which is ultimately a sign of episodic-like memory.

Social Memory

Social memory, as the term implies, consists of remembering a social figure, such as recognizing conspecifics (other dogs).

Interestingly, a study conducted by William Carr et al. investigated how puppy siblings reacted to the scent of their mothers after several years of separation. In the study, when the pups were presented with their mothers' scent, they were found to spend more time analyzing it compared to the scent of another unknown dog of the same breed. This proves to us that dogs are capable of remembering their mother's scent despite years of separation.

The same study also found that the pups spent more time analyzing the scent of their initial caregiver compared to the scent of a stranger of the same sex after many months of separation.

In another study conducted by Hepper et al., a mother dog and her puppies were separated once the puppies were 8 to 12 weeks. Once the puppies turned 2 years old, they were reunited. Both mother dogs and their puppies showed signs of recognizing each other.

These findings suggest that dogs are capable of retaining olfactory memory for quite a long time! A familiar scent may not always be very missed, but for sure, it's not forgotten!

Working Memory

Working memory refers to a dog's ability to process and retain information. This allows them to interact with their environment and learn new commands.

In a study, chronic pain, as that seen as a result of osteoarthritis, was found to impair a dog's working memory, particularly among older female dogs.

Procedural Memory

Also known as muscle memory, this type of memory involves remembering how to perform specific motor skills or tasks through practice and repetition.

A good amount of dog training involves muscle memory, specifically cued behaviors that involve positioning the body in a certain way.

Through practice and repetition, a specific motor skill becomes consolidated into a dog's memory to the point where the motor task is performed without conscious effort, requiring less and less concentration and attention.

Christine Zink, in her book Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, explains how muscle memory occurs when new connections between neurons are established, ultimately making the movement habitual.

Fear Memory

It is often said that when dogs are in an anxious state, their learning is inhibited. However, one type of learning remains strong in this situation: learning how to escape or get out of an unpleasant setting. This type of learning prevails and is very strong because it's linked to survival.

Just think how quickly a dog learns to find a hiding spot when a thunderstorm approaches or how to pull with all their might to go back home after hearing a scary noise on a walk.

These frightening experiences leave a strong and lasting impact on a dog's memory and learning.

When an intensely scary event leads to a dog developing a fearful lasting memory, it's known as "one-event learning," explain Gary M. Landsberg, Wayne L. Hunthausen and Lowell J. Ackerman in the book Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat.

Imitative Memory

As the term implies, imitative memory involves the ability to learn through imitation. It's the uncanny ability to copy the actions of others through observation.

Interestingly, dogs can be trained to imitate human actions through Fugazza's "Do as I Do" method upon hearing the “Do it!” cue, as seen in the video below. In one study, dogs showed the ability to imitate human actions even after retention intervals of up to 24 hours!

Fugazzas' "Do As I Do" Method Based on Imitation Memory

Can Dogs Remember Their Training After a Pause?

The answer is yes, but as mentioned earlier, how well a dog will respond after a pause may vary based on several individual factors, such as how well the dog was trained in the first place, his health, how much time has elapsed, and other factors.

If too much time has passed, just as it happens in humans, the response rate may get a little rusty, but how long is too long? This is a good question.

If you're after data, you may find it interesting to know that a study has found evidence that once a task is learned, it is likely to be remembered by the dog for a period of at least four weeks after the last practice, regardless of frequency and duration of the training sessions.

Based on these findings, how well your dog will remember his training will likely depend to a good extent on how well he was trained in the first place and how much time has elapsed. It's always a good idea to take a step back if we notice any struggling or reduced fluency, and therefore, "go back to kindergarten" for some time, so to speak.

Why Does My Dog Appear to "Forget" His Training When Distracted?

A common issue many dog owners encounter is a dog who fails to respond to a cue when in the presence of distractions. What may look like a dog trying to blow you off, though, is often simply a dog who has not been trained to perform the behavior at a fluent level and under certain levels of distractions.

Cases of dogs mislabeled as "disobedient dogs" therefore turn out to be cases of subpar levels of fluency combined with poor generalization. Let's take a closer look at the importance of meeting these important criteria by using an example of training dogs to come when called (recall training).

Fluency

When is a trained behavior considered fluent? Fluency often entails meeting several criteria, such as:

• Precision: Does the dog perform the behavior (coming to you) accurately without confusing it with other trained cues? Can your dog easily discriminate one cue from another?
• Latency: Does the dog perform the behavior (coming to you) immediately upon hearing the cue?
• Speed: Does the dog perform the behavior quickly? Does he rush to you quickly with enthusiasm?

Generalization

Once the behavior appears fluent, then it's time to generalize the behavior to other settings. We can help by introducing very gradually and systematically the 3D parameters of distance, duration and distractions.

• Distance: Can your dog perform the behavior even if you are at a distance?
• Duration: Can your dog hold the behavior for a certain duration of time? This applies most to duration behaviors such as sit and down.
• Distraction: Can your dog perform the behavior in spite of distractions?

Tip: Any time new parameters are added, it's important to stick to a continuous schedule of reinforcement (treats given every time the dog performs the correct behavior).

Dogs need this positive feedback to understand that even though the settings have changed, the desired behavior remains the same. This consistency helps them adapt to the new parameters more effectively.

Introduce Each Parameter Individually

To help the dog, it's important to introduce each of the parameters individually at first. If too much is asked at once, the behavior starts breaking apart.

If you have, therefore, been able to train your dog to come when called in a quiet hallway of your home, you want to start gradually adding distractions by moving the training to a room with a little more distraction (like other family members around, the TV on, or toys scattered in the room).

You may also want to increase distance, such as calling your dog when you are in another room, but it's best to work on this parameter in a low-distraction setting at first so that you don't stack too many challenges at once.

Use High-Value Treats

When we add challenges to our training, such as a new distraction, it helps to use higher-value treats so as to leave a strong impression on the dog. The use of a very salient food can help us compete (and hopefully win!) against a distraction.

For a life-saving skill such as a recall, this cannot be emphasized enough. I like to praise lavishly and dole out several treats in a row so as to make the dog feel as if he won the Nobel prize.

To help maintain positive associations when being called, it's important to avoid calling the dog when something negative is about to happen. For example, calling a dog who loves to spend time outside can be one big recall killer. In such a case, here are tips to prevent falling into this trap: tips for dogs who won't come inside when called.

Keeping training sessions short and sweet through positive reinforcement training and always ending on a positive note are the perfect ingredients for a dog who looks forward to training and is a willing, active participant.

The More Settings, the Better

As the saying goes, "Practice makes perfect." The more settings you practice in, the more responsive your dog will be, so make sure to practice with your dog in as many different places as possible.

Practice on walks, when you have guests over, around the boundaries of the dog park, in the waiting room of your vet, in the aisles of the pet store.

You can also get creative. For example, practice calling your dog with your back facing him while lying on the couch, hiding behind a bush, having friends over, or in the shower.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

While calling your dog in many different settings, it's important not to set the bar too high. In the dog training world, there is a saying: "Be a splitter, not a lumper." This means that it's best to split an exercise into small steps rather than attempting large leaps.

You want to call your dog when you are pretty sure it will be capable of attending to your cue. It's not fair to call him when he's attentively sniffing something, rolling in the mud, or investigating something that startled him.

The goal is to set your dog up for success as best you can. Think about it this way: every time you call your dog and succeed, you deposit money in your recall account. Every time your dog doesn't come and attends to something else that he finds more interesting than you, you deposit money.

To make the most of your investment of time, it's therefore important to diligently work on competing with all the stimuli that attract your dog and do your best to draw him like a magnet.

What If My Dog Fails? The Importance of Troubleshooting Challenges

If your dog fails to respond at any time, it's important to carefully evaluate what may have gone wrong. Many times, it's because we have raised criteria (moved to the next challenge) too quickly.

Generally, we want to raise the difficulty level only when we’re sure that the dog can very likely succeed in the next step. What this means is that if we have reached a level where the dog is performing the behavior at least well 80 percent of the time, we can move to the next challenge.

If we are under that 80 percent, that's a sign that our dog is struggling and needs our help in order to succeed. If, at any time, the dog fails twice in a row, that's often a sign that we may be pushing too fast

Therefore, the solution is to take a step back and decrease the difficulty for a bit until the dog appears to be fluent before adding challenges.

A Healthy Compromise: The Use of a Long Line

If you would like to give your dog more freedom to roam but worry about your dog's safety, make a compromise and invest in a long line.

Long lines are longer leashes with handles. They are often sold in tack and horse supply stores for use in horses, which can be converted for use in dogs (although more and more online stores sell long lines that are specifically crafted for dogs).

Long lines come in a variety of lengths ranging from 10 to 30 feet on average. They also come in a variety of materials.

Because recall training is a complex skill that requires lots of practice, a long line offers the ideal setting for keeping your dog safe while working on long-distance recalls. I like to use a long line when whistle-training dogs.

Even when a dog develops a strong response to a recall, it's important to consider that there are several dangers of keeping dogs off leash.

A safer option may be taking dogs to safely fenced areas to stretch their legs. Nowadays, there are many securely confined spaces that can be rented by the hour through Sniff Spot.

More tips on training a successful recall can be found here: secret strategies for training your dog to come when called.

Are There Ways to Help Dogs Retain Learned Cues?

Yes, there are a few approaches that may help dogs retain learned behaviors. These approaches are very easy to implement.

If we want to be picky, the correct terminology is "memory consolidation," which is the term used to depict the process where short-term memories convert to long-term ones.

The Power of Rest

It is a known fact that sleep before and after learning a new task helps boost our ability to retain memories. Disrupted sleep interferes with memory retention as overworked neurons struggle to coordinate information properly, potentially leading to a loss of access to previously learned information.

This is, after all, the theory behind "get a good night's sleep the day prior to your exam." This is just old wisdom dictating to give memory consolidation a good chance to work its magic.

Specifically, newer findings have found that sleep helps in optimizing memory consolidation through the strengthening of the neural connections which form our memories, while the awake state aims in the process of acquiring new information and accessing it once stored.

In particular, REM sleep plays an essential role in the acquisition of learned material. In dogs, according to a study, behavioral performance has shown to improve if, after learning, dogs underwent a 3-hour-long phase of rest/sleep.

The Super Power of Play

A study has found that when dogs are allowed to play after a training session, this routine can significantly aid the dog in learning a new set of skills.

Actually, play may be much more powerful than sleep. If you're after numbers, consider that a bout of play following training led to dogs relearning a task 40 percent faster than dogs who rested after the training session.

Interestingly, some preliminary research has found that when dogs are walked or played with after learning a new task, this has a positive effect on their memory when tested again 24 hours later, one week later, or even up to a year later!

Happy Training!

References

• Long-term retention of kinship recognition established during infancy in the domestic dog, Peter G. Hepper Behavioural Processes, Volume 33, Issues 1–2, December 1994, Pages 3-14
• Appel J, Arms N, Horner R, and Carr WJ (1999). Long-term olfactory memory in companion dogs
• Gallup, G. G. The nature of visual self-recognition revisited. Trends. Cogn. Sci. 18, 57–58 (2014)
• Pongracz, Peter & Benedek, Veronika & Enz, Sybille. (2012). The owners’ assessment of “everyday dog memory”: A questionnaire study. Interaction Studies
• Processes of Animal Memory (PLE: Memory) Douglas Medin · William Roberts · Roger Davis May 2014 · Psychology Press
• Fugazza, C., Pongrácz, P., Pogány, Á. et al. Mental representation and episodic-like memory of own actions in dogs. Sci Rep 10, 10449 (2020).
• Recall of Others’ Actions after Incidental Encoding Reveals Episodic-like Memory in Dogs Fugazza, Claudia et al. Current Biology, Volume 26, Issue 23, 3209 - 3213
• Mekosh-Rosenbaum, V., Carr, W.J., Goodwin, J.L., Thomas, P.L., D’Ver, A., and Wysocki, C.J. (1994). Age dependent responses to chemosensory cues mediating kin recognition in dogs (Canis familiaris). Physiol. Behav. 55, 495–49
• Excel-erated Learning, Explaining How Dogs Learn and How Best to Teach Them, Pamela J. Reid, Ph.D, James & Kenneth Publishers, 1996
• Affenzeller N, Palme R, Zulch H. Playful activity post-learning improves training performance in Labrador Retriever dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). Physiol Behav. (2017) 168:62–73
• Kis A, Szakadát S, Gácsi M, Kovács E, Simor P, Török C, et al. The interrelated effect of sleep and learning in dogs (Canis familiaris); an EEG and behavioural study. Sci Rep. (2017)
• Affenzeller N. Dog–human play, but not resting post-learning improve re-training performance up to one year after initial task acquisition in labrador retriever dogs: a follow-on study. Animals. (2020)
• Hall NJ, Johnston AM, Bray EE, Otto CM, MacLean EL and Udell MAR (2021) Working Dog Training for the Twenty-First Century. Front. Vet. Sc

If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting), please consult with a dog behavior professional for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos, and general information provided online are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this service, you are waiving any liability claims or other types of claims related to any of your dogs' behaviors against you or others.

© 2024 Adrienne Farricelli CPDT-KA, Dip.CBST