How does the dog's memory work?

There are many false myths associated with the memory of the dogs. Surely we have heard all kinds of theories; since they are not able to retain data until they have a significant long-term memory capacity. This is one of the topics that arouse the most interest among lovers of these animals. Therefore, we offer some information about it.

The truth is that dogs have the ability to store information in your brain, which in turn is part of their survival instinct. They can retain positive and negative memories, acting on them based on the experiences they have lived. Thus, if, for example, a dog is scratched by a cat, it is likely that it will never approach any specimen of this species again.

Experts offer endless opinions about the operation of the the memory canine. To this day, we know that dogs have, broadly speaking, two types of memory: short and long term. The first is widely used in training processes, since these animals live especially in the present, without thinking about the past or the future. Hence, they need to be rewarded immediately after obeying an order. Based on repetitions, they manage to memorize these action-reaction experiences.

Long-term memory, meanwhile, is what they use to store permanent information. As we said before, this helps them to strengthen their survival instinct; However, they do not use this kind of memory in the same way as human beings, since they are not capable of remembering specific events like us, but rather memorize sensations and routines.

They also have a excellent olfactory memory, since this is its most developed sense. His auditory memory is also remarkable, although his visual memory is much weaker than the previous two. Therefore, through smell, dogs can perceive a large number of memories and sensations.