Senses

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4 min read

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Can Dogs Understand Pictures?

Senses

|

4 min read

|

Can Dogs Understand Pictures?

Introduction

Dogs are so lovable and awesome. They understand humans in a special way. They can read our body language, our facial expressions, and our tone of voice. Dogs love their humans, and when they are face to face, dogs can understand more than you might think. 

But, do you ever wonder what your dog sees when he looks at the family photos around your house? What about photos on advertisements? What does your dog think when he sees a photo of a landscape? These are all great questions that many people wonder about.

can-dogs-understand-pictures

Signs That Dogs Can Understand Pictures

While dogs don't totally understand what pictures are (they're actually kind of complicated if you think about it), they can recognize what things are in pictures. When your dog sees a picture of you, he actually knows it's you! When dogs see a familiar face among unfamiliar faces, they recognize the familiar face and not the unfamiliar faces. Interestingly, dogs are more interested in dog faces than human faces - even more than their owners' faces. 

When a dog recognizes his owner in a photograph, his eye movements will be directed towards his human. Dogs learn to recognize their owners by gazing and bonding time. Dogs spend a lot of time lovingly gazing at their owners. By doing this, they get to know details of their owners' faces. So, when they see their owners in photographs, they are able to recognize the faces they love so much. 

When a dog recognizes his owner in a photograph, he will perk up and follow his owners face as it moves. Dogs get excited when they see their owners. They may wag their tails or whine. 

So far, research does not suggest that dogs can recognize places in photographs. If you show your dog a picture of a dog park, he probably won't recognize it as anything special. 

Body Language

Here are some signs you might notice when your dog understands a picture:

  • Alert
  • Whining
  • Panting
  • Wag Tail
  • Raise Ears

Other Signs

These are some other signs you might notice when dogs understand a picture:

  • Sniffing
  • Following Subject Of Picture
  • Undivided Attention

History of Dogs Understanding Pictures

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Dogs were the first animal to ever be domesticated. For over 15,000 years, dogs have been man's best friend. The relationship formed out of a mutual need for each other. Wolves and humans helped protect each other, and they helped each other hunt. The alliance was a great match. Over time, wolves began to evolve into dogs. Dogs that were sweeter and more responsive to humans were able to breed and continue their wonderful personality traits. 

The bond between human and dog has been a pivotal part of development for both species. The love that blossoms when a dog enters a family is overwhelming. That all started the very first-time wolves approached humans. 

In the beginning, dogs were a part of the pack. Soon, they became a part of the family and dogs had specific owners. Once dogs started belonging to specific people for their whole lives, more love came. Dogs began gazing at their human's faces. Eventually, dogs were able to recognize the face of their humans. 

Now, dogs see their owners all the time in photographs. They also recognize their owner's faces. While dogs are not able to fully understand photographs, and can't recognize things in all photographs, they are still more advanced than any other animal at facial recognition.

The Science of Dogs Understanding Pictures

can-dogs-understand-pictures

Dogs can respond to a number of gestures, such as pointing. They can actually do this better than chimpanzees! When dogs are full grown, they usually have the intellectual capabilities of about a 3-year-old. Human toddlers can begin retrieving objects based on photographs. 

So, it would make sense that a dog might be able to do the same. Research has shown that dogs do use photographs to gain information. For example, if there is a photo of a ball, the dog will be able to recognize that photo if it is in another room. Though dogs don't understand all pictures, they recognize items that are very familiar to them.

Training Dogs to Understand Pictures

can-dogs-understand-pictures

Training a dog to understand pictures can be difficult. You can try to teach your dog to associate pictures will real objects, but results are not guaranteed. The key to success is repetition, repetition, repetition! 

In order to train your dog to understand pictures, you'll need to get together the actual objects you want your dog to recognize. So take a photo of his favorite chew toy - something already familiar - and give him treats when he sees the photo and then goes to his toy. 

This advanced level of training is great for your dog's brain health. Dogs benefit greatly from being trained. Teaching your dog a few new tricks will help lower his anxiety. Training activates dogs' pleasure centers in their brains. A chemical called Oxytocin is released, and this produces feelings of happiness and love. 

Training is a great a great way to bond with your dog. By engaging in fun activities together, you and your pup can make happy memories together. Training your dog also guarantees that during these play sessions, you can trust that your favorite four-legged friend will stay cooperative. 

Dogs are experts at reading body language. They can get even better at reading body language during training. By seeing your repeated reactions to positive behaviors, your dog will be able to recognize more physical cues. 

Dog training increases a dog's intelligence because it broadens his mind in new ways. As a result of consistently learning new things, your dog will become more social and will play better with others. 

You can begin by teaching your dog the most basic tricks, such as "rollover" or "high-five". Then you can move to more advanced tricks, such as "playing dead" or "dancing in a circle". Once your dog has mastered these skills, you can get more advanced and begin training him to understand pictures. 

Over time, he will naturally come to know your face in pictures. And he'll be most attentive to other dogs in photos. With proper training, he will also come to recognize familiar objects in pictures. 

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Written by a Corgi lover Simone DeAngelis

Veterinary reviewed by:

Published: 02/03/2018, edited: 04/06/2020

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