# Can dogs recognize objects/people in photos? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 24, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177 "2010-04-24T03:00:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/1 "2010-04-24T03:00:16Z")
Or is their eyesight not good enough for that? ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/2 "2010-04-24T03:27:23Z")
I think it is not so much an issue of their eyesight, as much as their not caring about the unchanging color pattern on a flat piece of paper you’re waving in front of their face. My dog has great eyesight - he can recognize people as they start walking up our driveway, and decide whether to bark or not - but he doesn’t care about photos, even life-size posters of things. ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/3 "2010-04-24T03:58:01Z")
I don’t know about photographs, but one of my dogs loves to watch TV. He even runs around behind the TV to see where the people went when you turn it off. This is a large 1080p TV, so the dog likes his HD. I haven’t tried showing him videos of people he knows to see if he likes that or reacts to it. That might be fun to try My other two dogs are completely unimpressed by the TV. ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/4 "2010-04-24T04:08:04Z")
My dog likes humans/dogs against a white background (Apple commercials) and the [Dog Whisperer](http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/8844/dsc00872resize.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/5 "2010-04-24T08:39:37Z")
Usually, if an object doesn’t make a sound, move or have an interesting odor, dogs aren’t too interested in it. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/6 "2010-04-24T12:52:10Z")
They can certainbly recognise pictures of other dogs according to this research: [http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/463057/researchers\_show\_that\_dogs\_can\_recognize.html](http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/463057/researchers_show_that_dogs_can_recognize.html) ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/7 "2010-04-24T13:16:06Z")
My dogs used to both bark at the TV whenever there was a shot of a horse running, or a dog running. ---
**Author:** ![Ficer67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/8 "2010-04-24T17:14:14Z")
My dog would watch TV and bark at the bad guys, when they assaulted someone. So, yes they can recognize images. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/9 "2010-04-24T17:41:07Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > They can certainbly recognise pictures of other dogs according to this research: > > [http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/463057/researchers\_show\_that\_dogs\_can\_recognize.html](http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/463057/researchers_show_that_dogs_can_recognize.html) I’m not really surprised by that. Human beings usually have the ability to recognize that drawings are meant to represent real things around 14 months old, and many dogs seem as intelligent as a human that age. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/10 "2010-04-24T17:42:17Z")
I’ve seen a friend’s dog watch TV, and he (the dog) gets all excited when a dog appears on the screen. I don’t know if that is unusual or not, but he is pretty consistent about it. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/11 "2010-04-24T20:41:37Z")
At least one can, her name is [Betsy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betsy_(dog)), she’s a Border Collie, and she’s the rock star of smart dogs: > [@](#): > > Betsy is capable of interpreting the correlation between a two-dimensional photograph and the object it depicts, and is able to retrieve the item simply by seeing the image, **despite never having seen the depicted object or the photograph before**.[6] During testing, Betsy retrieved the correct item 38 out of 40 times. And if the intelligence of animals is interesting to you, [this](http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/03/animal-minds/virginia-morell-text/1) article will blow your mind. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/12 "2010-04-25T01:11:14Z")
I have seen dogs react to TV and I have also seen dogs to totally ignore it. I often wonder if they are ignoring it or unable to interpret it. If a dog barks at every mailman yet sees one on TV, won’t bother with it. Can he not recognize it? Or is he ignoring it? Other dogs I’ve seen can recognize mailmen and other animlas on TV. So are different dogs (or breeds) subject to ability to recognize or are they just choosing to ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/13 "2010-04-25T02:08:18Z")
Snoopette my beagle of long ago, would sit in my lap every Sunday to watch Disneys animal shows. She was particularly interested in wolves, or coyote shows. But she watched all animal shows. She would sit on my lap for the full hour. When our German Shepherd died, we were watching the Westminster Dog show. When the german shepherds came up, she jumped off my lap and ran to the TV. She tried to lick and sniff it . Then she tried to go around the back . It was so sad. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/14 "2010-04-25T17:27:55Z")
Our dog Casey, years ago, was entirely uninterested in TV except for one night, when there was a show about the American Southwest. When they showed a coyote howling, Casey leaped up and barked madly, desperate to find the intruder. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/15 "2010-04-25T18:13:30Z")
I think the TV anecdotes sort of have nothing to do with the OP. When an animal is interested in something on the television, it sees movement and hears weird animal noises. Heck, my dog watches tv intently when she hears a woman talking in a sultry voice (like in a sex phone commercial). The OP is asking about animals looking at still pictures and reacting to them or being able to make out what is in the picture. That’s a completely different thing than television. **Fiendish Astronaut** ’s answer is most on topic here. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/16 "2010-04-25T18:39:58Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I think the TV anecdotes sort of have nothing to do with the OP. When an animal is interested in something on the television, it sees movement and hears weird animal noises. Heck, my dog watches tv intently when she hears a woman talking in a sultry voice (like in a sex phone commercial). > > The OP is asking about animals looking at still pictures and reacting to them or being able to make out what is in the picture. That’s a completely different thing than television. **Fiendish Astronaut** ’s answer is most on topic here. Read mine. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/17 "2010-04-26T00:23:23Z")
Didn’t say everyone was off the mark, **Stoid**. Just that the anecdotes about dogs reacting to TV were taking the thread in the wrong direction. My apologies for not singling your answer out as a good one. Well done! ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/18 "2010-04-26T21:00:06Z")
I would like to see result of a study using a web cam or some such were the dog and the TV or observed with no humans in the room. No one within sight, sound or smell. I should like it controlled for time of day. My gut feeling is that dogs are much, much more sensitive to what persons are doing than literature and stories suggests. ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/19 "2010-04-27T00:24:30Z")
I recently read “Don’t Sleep, There are Snakes” by Daniel Everett, a linguist who studied the Piraha people of the Amazonian jungle. In it he mentions that most Piraha have a very difficult time interpreting pictures or photos, i.e. they will hold a photo sideways or upside down, and have to ask what it is. So apparently even people may not be able to recognize objects in photos, if that sort of thing isn’t part of their culture. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177/20 "2010-04-27T03:48:56Z")
We had one of those “look around the back of the TV when Rin Tin Tin walks offscreen” dogs when I was a kid. Our dogs now are soooooo boring… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-dogs-recognize-objects-people-in-photos/537177.md?page=2)