Do dogs recognize their parents?

Humans don't usually have a hard time recognizing our parents, even if they haven't seen them for years, but… what about dogs? The truth is that this is a question that researchers have been asking themselves, who little by little have been discovering more and more details about the ability of these furry ones to recognize their loved ones.

Now they know the answer, and I can assure you that it will surprise you. So If you want to know if dogs recognize their parents, don't stop reading! : )

The critical period of dogs

Dogs, from 2 weeks to 3 months of age, go through what is known as the critical period. During those days they are very sensitive to everything that happens to them; That is why it is so important that they discover as soon as possible what is, first, the security and affection of their mother, and then, with two months, the warmth (security, trust, pampering) of a good human home.

If everything goes as it should go, that is, without shocks or trauma of any kind, the puppies that grow up with their parents will be able to recognize them once they are adults; although it is more likely that it is less difficult for them to recognize their mother than their father, since when they are babies they spend more time with her.

Canine smell

Dogs' sense of smell is much more developed than ours. Their scent glands provide them with a lot of information from others in their family and from other animals. For this reason, Dr. Lore Haug, veterinarian expert in animal behavior, suspects that thanks to this ability they can recognize others with whom they have related even years after being separated.

Of course, they will not be aware of the relationship they had with those furry ones, but a part of them will tell them that they are very, very familiar. And from there, two things can happen:

• One: let them be very happy and give each other a few licks;
• Or two: that they react badly; that is, they growl or one of the two turns around. Obviously, this will only happen if they had a bad experience in the past.

Can you recognize faces?

For people, some more and others less, it is not difficult for us to remember faces (I insist, it depends on who 🙂), but we are not the only ones: nature has also given our dog friends that ability. It's more: Not only can they recognize the faces of other dogs, but it is also not very difficult for them to know which human is part of their circle of acquaintances or which is not.

This is something that researchers explained in a 2009 study. They showed a series of dogs photos of the faces of other dogs they knew, and others of dogs that were unfamiliar to them. How did they react?

As it turns out, they stared at the photos of dogs they knew for longer, which suggests that they take facial features into account when distinguishing between known and unknown furry dogs. One more proof that these animals can recognize their parents.

Children can recognize parents ... but the opposite may not happen

Puppies and adult dogs under the age of seven usually have no problem recognizing their parents, as their attention span is longer. However, when an adult specimen is joined with its parents who are over that age they may not be able to recognize their children.

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