As humans, we recognize the race of other humans , generally speaking, on sight. ie: he’s an Asian…he’s an African American…He’s a Latino, etc. In the dog world, a dog will certainly recognize another dog, as a dog, regardless of breed. My question: Would a Siberian Husky, meeting another Sibe, give a paws up ‘YO’ to a brother? Or would two poodles meeeting nose to butt have a differant feeling toward each other as opposed to a German Sheppard and a Collie meeting? Is there brotherly love out there when the same breed meet…that’s my question.
Well, I’m not sure that dogs know what breed they, themselves, are, first of all. Secondly, size is what matters to a dog, not fur color, though there are instances in the wild in which albino wolves have been ejected from the pack.
Dogs have species confusion in the first place. Humans are their “pack,” so they don’t have a basis of comparison with other dogs the way that wolves would by seeing the “norm” in the other dogs around them.
[Anecdote alert]
I have a friend with a pet Weimeraner. If you’d ever seen this dog when it spots another Wei you’d never question that she knows her own breed. While she cheerfully ignores any other breed she reacts with great excitement when she see another Wei or even the superficially similar GSPs. Instantly wants to be freinds
Of course there are questions that need to be asked here:
Does the dog know that these animals are the same breed, or does she simply like these breeds without ever realising that this is what she is herself?
Did she learn behaviour this because her owner, being a Wei enthusiast, reacts with excitement to finding a dog of this breed? It’s easy for dos o pick up on these cues.
The idea of albino wolves being ejected seems quite plausible. Wild dogs of all species have colour markings, notably the eyebrows and body tips, that allow them to communicate at distance. These are supposedly even more notable in the dogs limited colour spectrum. With an albino animal these would of course vanish, producing a dog with severe communication problems. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the wolves didn’t recognise the animal as a wolf, just that it didn’t fit in.
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It occured to me that perhaps she vaguely remembers what her mother/siblings looked like. Researchers have found that mothers imprint deeply on animals when searching for a suitable mate. For example, if Mom is dabbed with lemon juice while raising her offspring, the offspring will search for a mate which smells like lemon. Likewise, if Mom has a certain coat pattern, its likely that her offspring will search for similar markings on their mate.
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This seems even more plausible. The only way to test it would be to study her reaction to another Wei when you’re not visible to her. But then again, her reaction would be trained by now. Only a pup who had never been taught any reaction would be a good tst subject.
Of course they would know it was a fellow wolf. An albino still smells and acts like a wolf, and can communicate through body languge just as the others can. It’s just that the completely different look gives all others an “excuse” to pick on that wolf. Generally, albinos are tolerated at the lowest status level in the pack for a while, but in any sort of food shortage, or if the albino doesn’t have a sufficiently submissive personality, they will be driven from the pack.
When selecting a mate, tiny differences in appearance do matter. Sometimes, researchers are unable to determine visually why an animal was rejected. Upon studying the creature closely, sometimes they’ll find that its coat was a tiny bit duller, or more sparse than another animal’s. To animals, appearance = health and suitability as a co-parent. An albino by no means looks normal to them.
Portuguese Water Dogs supposedly have excellent breed recognition skills. When I’ve been at a dog park, on the rare times that another Portie shows up, my Porties seek it out of a crowd with tens of other dogs. They also tend to be friendlier with standard Poodles (the closest related breed) than with other breeds.
One of my PWDs is a bit coy around other dogs, taking a few minuted before she feels comfortable enough to play. With another PWD, though, it’s as if they’re littermates; they dispense with the butt-sniffing and start playing right away.
Racing greyhounds, because of their single-breed kennelling, are often confused about how to interact when they meet other types of dog. They do know another greyhound when they see one tho’!
Unfortunately my rescue GH was attacked by a German Shepherd (dog). He now recognises anything that is dog-shaped, regardless of size, and avoids them all as best he can without appearing to run away.
Racing greyhounds are socially retarded due to their upbringing. They never have the chance for normal dog socialization, much like a human baby raised by chimps would have no idea how to interact socially with other humans. It may be that they know that a German Shepard is a dog, but have no idea how to interact with him. They know what to expect from other racing greyhounds, but not from other kinds of dogs. Other dogs have completely different behavior and reactions than a dog whose world has been utterly devoid of normal dog socialization.
Obligatory Portuguese Water Dog evangelism, for those who have never heard of the breed. My dogs, Bailey and Guinness; the breed is said to have the character of a manly Poodle.
Very, very cute, however the one in the rear look like he/she wants to kill you…
Anyway, I am fascinated by this. Perhaps the dogs identify with their mother. As an avid mutt collector, I can see this. Think of this picture:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/030507/161/3zt3x.html&e=2
Here is a tiger that IDs with Pigs. In any other situation, these Babe’s would be lunch. However, since Tony the Tiger was nursed by a pig, they are sibs, a comfy throw rug. In my puppy class, there were two dogs of the same breed that loved each other. Perhaps it is the same temperment?? If only we could get them to talk…
/Sorry=Sorry=Hijack…This makes me extremely sad. No romping, no seeing who’s mouth is bigger, no grabbing neck skin, no seeing who is going to flinch first before the chase. Damn. Not good. I even looked into GH adoption, but could not imagine having a dog that had to be on a leash its entire life and not be able to romp dig and chase in the fenced yard. End/
I know responding to a hijack is in itself a hijack, sorry, I’ll be brief.
What Lissa said is true, but not the saddest part. If you can give one a good home you can make a change. Mine (aged 11) is rarely on a lead, BUT keep away from cats & similar!
All my dogs have recognised cats as cats, but my own cats don’t count as cats. Work that one out!
Yup. They’re both very dangerous dogs.
BTW, that’s another Portie trait … they have multi-octave voices, and talk more than bark. That could be one raeason why dogs seek out others of their breed … body language, a familiar sounding bark, similar temprement …
Sorry, that tiger in the picture is licking her chops. You can tell she’s just waiting for all of them little piglets to crowd around so they can’t scatter when she starts crunching them down like popcorn.