Short Term Memory??

Hey all, is it true that dogs lack or have bad short term memories? Say if your dog goes in the house while you are away and you get home to find it, does he even remember doing it?

Nope. You either catch your dog in the act or scold yourself for allowing the accident to happen. You can try scolding the spot itself, but yelling at the dog is only going to make it apprehensive of you coming home next time. An accident on the carpet isn't something that ranks up there as things to remember. How to get out of a crate or into a trashcan, now those are worthy of remembering.

lol, or how to climb a fence (i am still dumbfounded at that...) but yeah, scolding them after the matter just confuses the heck outta the poor dog...especially if he was just welcoming you home or something!

I don't believe that they remember going to the bathroom in the house, no.

If my dog makes a mess in the house, and we come home to it, he sulks. I don't think it's because he remembers the act of making the mess, but because he knows we don't like pee/poo/shredded paper/mutilated sofas. He's very observant and picks up on our moods, and nobody is ever whistling dixie while they're trying to get a stain out of the carpet.. So, I think when he sees that in the house, and he sees us discover it, he gets upset because he anticipates US being upset. Dunno how much sense that made, but that's my explanation for why dogs sometimes look "guilty" after they make a mess in the house

I can always tell when Roxy has done something wrong. Ears pinned back, tail tucked, and looking at me with puppy dog eyes. Gets me everytime.

4 seconds is about all their memory is for somehting like that.

I expect that it isn't that they don't remember doing it, they just don't connect doing it that long ago to why we're making a fuss. They do not understand pointing well at all.

Especially since they have no problem remembering that food can be found in the trashcan, or that hearing "sit" means butt to floor and treat appears.

It isn't as if they don't know which waste in the backyard is theirs. My mother's dog constantly pees over where my dog has peed, even if it was hours before. She seems to have no problem knowing it isn't hers...

--Mia

mia makes great points there. it doesn't have anything to do with short term memory, just with the capability of the dog to connect being disciplined for something unless it happens when you catch them in the act.

yeah, if you yell often enough when a dog has an accident inside, he will "act guilty" but that's not because he understands that soiling the house is bad, but because of the owner becoming "aggressive" (as the dog sees it) whenever they find a soiled spot in the house.

ultimately, all this accomplishes is the dog doing it out of sight where the owner doesn't see it.

I think it does have to do with how they make connections. Remember, this is dog psychology, not human reasoning.

Example: Pup squats and pees on floor. You're thinking, "If I correct him, he will associate peeing in the house with a negitive experience, and stop peeing in the house". Your dog may be thinking, "No peeing allowed! Oh-oh! Better not pee in front of this person anymore, they don't like it!".

It's not really a matter of memory. I think it's described that way so that we can understand it better. Dogs are the ultimate "zen critters"--they live more in the now than any of us could hope to. We can't explain to them, "Okay, I'm really upset that you pooped on the floor three hours ago. That's why you're in trouble." Because we speak two different languages and we can't accurately communicate our motivations, we have to take advantage of their doggy zen and use it to teach them. That's why, if you want to shape your dog's behavior, you have to react to their behavior within about four seconds. Otherwise, it's in the past, man!

lol that was well put emma

CreatureTeacher's comments are accurate as well as humorous. Dog's "learn" by repetition in conjunction with their natural instincts. That's why we reward them with a treat for good behavior. We all make the mistake of believing our dogs understand the word "sit" etc. They don't, they know the "sound" sit means treat/reward if I do this. (If that makes sense). If you talk to your dog (I think most of do) he will look at you waiting for a sound that he knows. His ears will perk up at the mention of the word "walk", "treat", "hungry" etc. The other 10 words you said mean nothing.
When you arrive home and there is a mess on the carpet, he looks guilty because he is reading your body language and tone of voice. He knows the alpha is unhappy but cannot associate it with the mess.
Whenever possible, I take Chaz for a walk before I leave for any length of time. Still accidents happen.