# Do animals self identify with a name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709 "2017-05-16T01:51:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/21 "2017-05-16T12:21:42Z")
Our German Shepherd Kali likes to carry stuffed animals around in her mouth. When retrieving them, she shakes them vigorously when first picking them up (a “killing prey” behavior). So, we began calling these toys her babies, and paired the command, “shake the baby” with the shaking behavior. Now, when friends bring their kids over to visit, we tell Kali to “shake the baby” and she does. Really freaks out new moms. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/22 "2017-05-16T12:37:47Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Tell me [these dogs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIB78p-Y5cE) don’t know their names. It’s hard to tell from the angle, but they look like [Border Collies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Collie), one of the smartest breeds there is. > [@Grrr](#): > > Ask any dog owner who owns two or more dogs: > > Call for Fido, Spot will come. > > Call for Spot, Fido will come. > > They do this NOT because they have their names confused, but because, not only do they identify their own name, they are clearly able to identify others’ names. Which is why they will come in a fit of jealousy when the other dog’s name is called. “For I am a jealous dog and thou shalt have none before me.” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/23 "2017-05-16T12:39:38Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Off topic although slightly related is the mirror test, which I just learned about a few days ago and found very interesting. > > It’s an experiment ran on many different animals over the years on if they can ever learn that the image they see in a mirror is themselves. > > The conclusion? Only four animals can. Only four animals ever learned: Humans, dolphins, monkeys, and elephants. > > And the interesting way they proved it? The tape or mark test. They would put either a mark or piece of tape on the back of an animal and then put a mirror near them. Monkeys, dolphins, and elephants are the ONLY animals who ever used the mirror to then turn around and see what was put on them, on their backs (in the mirror) thus proving that they knew that the reflection was that of themselves. > > I always found that interesting. What that has to do with this question, though…well, it just reminded me of it. Actually, it’s the great apes which seem to recognize their reflections in a mirror. For some reason, only gorillas which have been habitualized to humans seem to pass the mirror test as well. Lesser primates, such as baboons, Rhesus monkeys, and macaques, seem to display no sense of awareness of their own reflections. Also, Eurasian magpies have passed the mirror test. And only one elephant is reported to have passed the test. Other elephants are reported to have been tested, but failed, but have reportedly demonstrated self-awareness in other ways. > **[Mirror test](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_test)** > > The mirror test—sometimes called the mark test, mirror self-recognition (MSR) test, red spot technique, or rouge test—is a behavioral technique developed in 1970 by American psychologist Gordon Gallup Jr. as an attempt to determine whether an animal possesses the ability of visual self-recognition. The MSR test is the traditional method for attempting to measure physiological and cognitive self-awareness. However, agreement has been reached that animals can be self-aware in ways not measured b ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/24 "2017-05-16T14:10:47Z")
Dogs appear to understand names. They understand their own names and what is not their name, the names of other dogs, other animals, people and things. How that correlates to a sense of self would be difficult to resolve, but clearly dogs do not think of names as simply commands. They use name as identifiers. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/25 "2017-05-16T14:53:19Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > My apologies for all the typos. I’ve been good lately about previewing before I hit post, but I didn’t this time. Blame my old eyes and big fingers. Five cats in your household? … I’ll bet a dog biscuit you don’t have a proper ground wire attached to your tin foil helmet … * * * Dogs do not understand English … however they can distinguish pitch, tone and sequences that emit from a human’s food hole … I trained my dog using a “command voice” … a bit lower pitched than my normal voice … he also would always look at me first, and if I was looking at him he’d promptly execute the command … if I used my normal voice and was looking elsewhere, he’d obey only if it suited his fancy … I doubt this is normal, rather it’s how I specifically trained the beast … Cats don’t need to understand English … they place these thoughts into your mind with malice aforethought … you may think they respond to their names, but in fact it is you who are being the obedient domesticated animal … aluminum makes a poor substitute for tin … ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/26 "2017-05-16T15:14:30Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Tell me [these dogs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIB78p-Y5cE) don’t know their names. I remember seeing this. FTR, they are all aussies (australian shepherds) and border collies (or all aussies?), who are exquisitely bred for distinctly responding to human commands. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/27 "2017-05-16T17:20:13Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Dogs do not understand English … however they can distinguish pitch, tone and sequences that emit from a human’s food hole … Actually, dogs do seem to understand some aspects of human language. In a study conducted last year, dogs’ brains were analyzed as they listened to their trainers’ voices. > [@](#): > > “Dogs process both what we say and how we say it in a way which is amazingly similar to how human brains do,” says Attila Andics, a neuroscientist at Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary. When dogs hear speech, he explains, they seem to separate the meaning of words from the intonation, and each aspect of speech is analyzed independently. The left hemisphere of the brain processes meaning, while intonation is analyzed in the right hemisphere. > **[Their Masters' Voices: Dogs Understand Tone And Meaning Of Words](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/08/30/491935800/their-masters-voices-dogs-understand-tone-and-meaning-of-words)** > > When humans talk to dogs, the canine brains seem to separate the meaning of the words from the intonation used and to analyze each aspect independently. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/28 "2017-05-16T17:51:02Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Dogs appear to understand names. They understand their own names and what is not their name, the names of other dogs, other animals, people and things. How that correlates to a sense of self would be difficult to resolve, but clearly dogs do not think of names as simply commands. They use name as identifiers. I tend to agree. My dog Grady is a greedy SOB. But if we have him lined up with his cousin and sister, all three dogs can get their treats if we specify who each treat is for. This is for Gwenny, this is for Morgan, this is for Grady. If we don’t specify, Grady just grabs for the treat and it’s gone. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/29 "2017-05-16T19:11:37Z")
We’ve done this several times before. My standard tale: When we had multiple cats, if you yelled at one of them by name the others would turn to see what the guilty party was up to. They knew their names and the names of the others. ---
**Author:** ![Doubticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@Doubticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doubticus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/30 "2017-05-16T19:55:30Z")
I have no idea if they can or not, but I used to be able to ask my old dog “Where is so and so”, and if that person was in the room, she would point to them. We could do that with all four members of my family in a room and she would point to every individual person correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/31 "2017-05-16T21:08:47Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Off topic although slightly related is the mirror test, which I just learned about a few days ago and found very interesting. > > It’s an experiment ran on many different animals over the years on if they can ever learn that the image they see in a mirror is themselves. > > The conclusion? Only four animals can. Only four animals ever learned: Humans, dolphins, monkeys, and elephants. > > And the interesting way they proved it? The tape or mark test. They would put either a mark or piece of tape on the back of an animal and then put a mirror near them. Monkeys, dolphins, and elephants are the ONLY animals who ever used the mirror to then turn around and see what was put on them, on their backs (in the mirror) thus proving that they knew that the reflection was that of themselves. > > I always found that interesting. What that has to do with this question, though…well, it just reminded me of it. Of course, the mirror test only means anything if the animal is visually-oriented to begin with. I’ve often wondered about this from the other side: when our cats make specific calls to get our attention, are they using names for us and we dumb ol’ humans just can’t distinguish between meows? (Probably not, but it’s interesting to think about). ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/32 "2017-05-16T21:34:47Z")
I think they’re responding to something house. I don’t know what to say about your horses. I called my horses with a two-note melody, kind of like the Avon ring. I could shout out any two syllables and they would come. “Doo-fus!” “Stu-pid!” “Ding-dong!” But then, I didn’t have very smart horses, to begin with. OTOH my dog, a border collie mix, did kind of pass the mirror test. I think he would actually have known, if someone put a piece of tape or a mark on him, without looking in the mirror. But if he sees something in a mirror, like someone coming into a room, he looks to where the person actually is. And he no longer growls at the dog in the mirror–any mirror. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/33 "2017-05-16T23:52:11Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > When I was a kid, my mom would tell our dog: “Go wake **Grrr** up!” (For school) and that dog would come running in my room, jump on my bed, and lick my face till I got up. Our dog can be half asleep and if I say to him let’s go wake up my daughter, he’s up like a flash. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/34 "2017-05-17T01:01:10Z")
> [@Doubticus](#): > > I have no idea if they can or not, but I used to be able to ask my old dog “Where is so and so”, and if that person was in the room, she would point to them. We could do that with all four members of my family in a room and she would point to every individual person correctly. Our family cat had a similar trick that we discovered by accident. My Mum asked "Where’s John? and the cat looked up in the direction of John’s bedroom, where he in fact was. We soon learned that this worked with any family member 🙂 The cat was very attuned to my mum. One time she glanced out of the window and said “What’s that strange cat doing in the garden?” and he dashed to the window to glare at the intruder. It did seem that he knew what “cat” meant and reacted to that and the annoyance/scorn in mum’s voice. ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/35 "2017-05-17T03:01:16Z")
My pets certainly know their names. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/36 "2017-05-17T03:03:50Z")
[This _Far Side_ cartoon seems appropriate.](https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/47/153603564_7281ad0588.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![cattalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cattalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cattalk)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/37 "2017-05-17T03:09:25Z")
I as a pet lover I believe that pet does know their names. But scientifically they only distinguish thru sound waves. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/38 "2017-05-17T04:36:41Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > [This _Far Side_ cartoon seems appropriate.](https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/47/153603564_7281ad0588.jpg) Before I click the link I’m guessing “Ginger.” ETA: Yep. Perfect link for the thread. ---
**Author:** ![CeleTheRef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@CeleTheRef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CeleTheRef)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/39 "2017-05-17T07:57:31Z")
my two dogs understand their names, expecially if in the same sentence as “cookie” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709/40 "2017-05-17T11:44:33Z")
I would guess they do not. They don’t seem to have language, and, without language, I can’t see how the concept of a name makes sense. There was this deaf man without language who suddenly had insight and picked it up. And it seemed like he’d never considered the idea that things could have names. Note, not having language doesn’t mean they can’t communicate. Language is taking symbolic representation of concepts and arranging them to create meaning. You can still convey concepts, like “I want to go out” or “I’m so happy you’re home” and such, but you have to be able to put them together in some way to have language. If dogs do have any sort of language, it’s not one we’ve been able to decipher, so I doubt they’d be able to decipher ours. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-self-identify-with-a-name/786709.md?page=3)