Dogs..do they remember?

[slleipnir]

Just curious..it's said when doing this like house training or whatever, you have to catch them doing it to teach them not to do it..right? But they remember what they did and know its wrong after, why can you not still do it then? Zeke seems to know when he has done something wrong. For example, the other night when no one was home, he went into the living room (where he's not allowed) and took a x-mas bulb dealy off the tree and took it out by his chair (He didn't break it though...somehow) When my dad got home, Josie greeted him at the door, like she always does..so does Zeke, usually. But he didn't that day. So my dad just did a couple of things, then went to let Josie outside and I guess Zeke heard the door close so he came downstairs and slowly creapt into the kitchen (which is next the room his chair is in/where the bulb was) and as soon as my dad walked around the corner (in the room with the bulb) zeke stopped mid stride. You can tell when a dog knows hes done something bad..Anyway, he seemed to know he wasn't allowed to do that..but we've never got mad at him for doing anything like that (he's never done it before) Same for if he has an accident on the floor..he won't go near that room if your in it till its all cleaned up...So if that even made sense, then couldn't it be possible to train a dog not to do something even if its after its been done?

[wolfsoul]

I still punish Timber when she's done something wrong and I never caught her. She's usually good, but if I found something she's chewed, I'll point to it and go "What's that?" And she'll know that I'm angry and get all guilty. The guilt is enough punishment.

[trayi52]

I think so too Jordan, and the way you pointed it out to her is the best way to do it, though I think sometimes they don't realize that they have done anything wrong unless you point it out at the time they have done the deed. Dogs are pretty smart, they sense when you are unhappy with them. They may not know why you are unhappy, but they know the sound of your voice and what it means.

[Tonya]

So many dog trainers and dog fanatics say that dogs don't remember. They're the experts, but I have trouble agreeing.

Dusty and Roxy totally remember when they do something wrong. Roxy will totally cower (I think she used to be abused). When I see her cowering, I have to start trying to figure out what she did wrong. lol.

Dusty is hilarious. I used to spank Dusty on the bottom when he had done something really bad. I normally don't agree with that, but he's a strange dog and that was the only thing that worked for him. Anyways, when he's done something bad, he runs backwards and keeps his butt away from me. lol.

I no longer have to spank him because someone here at PT helped me with him. I had to make him work for everything in order for him to understand I'm alpha.

[binka_nugget]

I think it depends..if I came home to a completely ruined living room and Kai/Kae were lets say..sleeping..or just staring into space, I wouldn't punish them. But if it was something like Kai chewing up a shoe and I didn't catch him till a couple minutes after, I'd tell him "no!" while pointing at it. I hope that made sense..

[Twisterdog]

Well, I don't agree with the people who say dogs don't remember. It simply does not make intuitive sense to me.

You can teach a dog to sit, and it will remember for its entire life. Narcotic dogs remember the smell of a drug, out of millions of other smells. Your dog remembers you when you come back from a two week vacation. Your dog remember where it buried a bone last week. I board dogs that remember which kennel they were in the last time they were boarded, and go right to that door, without fail, every time - even if it was months ago.

Dogs also remember negative things. That is why bark collars, citronella collars, scat mats, electric fences continue to work, even if you take the batteries out. The dog remembers the negative experience associated with a behavior and doesn't repeat it. One of my dogs is terrified of brooms. Someone obviously hit him with a broom before I got him. But I've owned him for nine years, he has never forgotten.

When I come home, and there is chewed-up shoe in the hallway, I know instantly who did it. The dog looking guilty and groveling on her belly. The others don't look guilty, they didn't do it. No one is ever going to convince me that dogs can't remember, can't draw associations. To me, that is just plain silly.

[aly]

Its not that they don't remember, it is that they have a 3-5 second association time. If you come in yelling at them for something they did hours ago, it is just confusing and scary for them.

(Feeling really sick right now or I'd elaborate more)

[dukedogsmom]

Dogs do remember! It's been almost 10 years and Duke hasn't forgotten what happened to him. He still doesn't like men, especially ones that look like my ex. They know when they've done wrong and such. They're so funny. Get this guilty look on their faces. So cute you can't get angry at them.