Can Dogs Recognise Different Breeds?

[mongo1]

I was trying to figure out if dogs are able to recognise differences in breeds? Like humans can recognise if someone is from a different nationality by their appearance and accent or language they speak. Do dogs have that kind of cognitive ability or is that something only humans have?

[hilaryo]

Don't know about other breeds but I think beagles definitely recognise other beagles.

[Tash]

I think they can I have a dog that really doesnt get along with other dogs outside of the family. However she grew up with a friends blue roan cocker spaniel so she thought all party coloured Cockers were great even orange roans but she didnt like the solids. She also for some reason (not sure why) particularly didnt like Labradors and it didnt matter what colour they were.

[mita]

Don't know about other breeds but I think beagles definitely recognise other beagles.

I agree. Really sticks out in tibbies. I had an adult tibbie flown up from Canberra yesterday. When she came out of the dog transport van, she was trembling with stress. Kept doing it all the way up the driveway. Then she spotted Lily the tib next door & instantly the trembling stopped....her tail wagged & ears pricked up. Then she spotted the other tib, NZ, & the tail wagged faster. She was then totally happy, went around to each person & made friends. Never a sign of stress since. It's as if she's figured out she's with her 'tribe'.

Edited February 3, 2010 by mita

[cannibalgoldfish]

What an interesting thread! I had wondered about this myself. I think maybe they recognise similar dogs to ones they know, not actually a breed? A thought anyway.

[Tassie]

I'm sure they can - at least in a broad sense. My BC's best friend is a Golden Retriever, and he gets very excited when we're out and about and sees a Golden, thinking it might be his friend. (Mind you, he confuses yellow Labs with Goldens from a distance. )

I think, at least for some breeds, there's also an almost hard wired recognition of a particular body shape and stance as being a possible problem. For many Border Collies, the upright and forward leaning stance of dogs such as Boxers, Rotties etc. can cause a wariness, even if theyu've had no particular bad experiences.

And BCs are like beagles - a bit breedist - happy to recognise their own breed. :D

JMHO.

[Nic oh lah]

Sophie gets excited when she sees another GSD - and she gets really fixated to the point of stalking with Blue Heelers.

[tlc]

I know with my lot, and yes I know they are cross breeds, but I occasionally have play dates with siblings of my four and also a group of girls who have the same and the dogs always play differently with them than they do with any other dog.

Also we went to a dog trial here in town a month or so back and I took Cooper (we were just observing) and we met a few dogs, Aussie shepards and little Malt x Westie, among others and Cooper was unreactive to them all, just went about doing his own thing till a big puppy (looked to me like a STD Poodle) walked past and he started to go a bit hyper on the lead like "oh mum please let me say hello" Cooper is very sociable, it was just like oh hey that dog is one of me I didnt think anything of it till the lady who we talked to later on said the pup was a Poodle X Lab. Im sure he would have reacted the same way about a poodle but it was just like he knew it was one of his kind :D

[spottychick]

All of my dallies have seemed to recognise other dallies. A friend of mine told me that after I moved interstate her dog (who used to be best buds with mine) would react to any dalmatian as if she thought it was my dog. Until she got up close and realised it wasn't. So i think they recognise familiar body shape and patterning etc

[W Sibs]

I dunno..

Charlie is very fond of Shih Tzu or part Shih Tzu. He insist that we always go over to say hello to a Shih Tzu or half shih tzu.. it's very cute, but he can spot them a mile away. We don't know other Cavalier dogs though. He isn't a fan of Labrador or Goldies though (he gets bulldoze by them when he was younger), so he keeps away from them. His best friend is a beagle. And, I think he thinks the old BC next door is his fur mum.

[cannibalgoldfish]

Loki grew up with a GSP cross which belonged to my ex. When we broke up he would get excited everytime he saw a big brown dog that looked like my ex's dog. He wasn't recognising a breed but what he remembered from growing up from a puppy. He may react the same with other shibas? I have never come across one to find out.

[mongo1]

I guess we are all only basing it on our own personal experiences though, it would be interesting if any studies where done on weather or not dogs are breedist so to speak. If so my BC is breedist against other BC's never gets excited when he sees them and just turns his tail up and them :-)

[Zhou Xuanyao]

I would say yes they can in an indirect way.

They can react certain ways to certain breeds because of the way that breed looks or thier body language, not because the dog knows that any particular dog is any particular distinct breed. So for example a dog may consistently react with aggression toward large spitz breeds such as Malamutes or Akitas because of the way they carry thier ears and tail, the same dog may typicaly react playfully toward a Staffordshire Bull Terrier because the dog may like thier unimposing size and goofy disposition.

The dog might also associate certain looking dogs with particular experiences in its past.

Edited February 3, 2010 by Lo Pan

[SpikesPuppy]

I believe they do :D

My Border Terriers LOVE other Border Terriers.

Caber in particular is also fond of fluffy dogs (any size), and loves GSDs & Cavaliers (to the point of dragging me over to see any of these dogs if I let him ). However he hates Staffords & Golden Retrievers (had a bad experience with both as a youngster).

Ziva likes BIG fluffy dogs (Newfs, Saints etc) and is also drawn to Cavs & GSDs due to positive associations :D

Nessa loves other Collies, smooth or rough (She is a smooth). She also likes GSDs lol.

My old Dobe X who was DA, was particularly aggressive with Airedale Terriers. Even when she was trained to the point where she could walk loose-lead through the Million Paws Walk etc, if she saw an Airedale, she would ark up, it was very strange.

[pie]

Absolutely, when Trixie sees another Manchester she goes ape!

After obedience training on Monday she was sitting around not too bothered by the other dogs, then locked eyes with a Manchester Terrier puppy and crikey it was zoomies on for young and old! (well, as much as two dogs can zoom on lead!)

[Gretel]

Cavaliers definitely love other Cavaliers. And mine react to colours too. They get much more excited about wholecolours than particolours And a lovely blenheim girl I raised came back for a holiday and the owner told me how she goes crazy about a ruby Cavalier at the park. The new owner had never met me and didn't realise the pup had been raised with my rubies :D

[Chicken]

My Rottie, Abby, grew up with pugs, and everytime she sees a pug she bounds over and wants to play. Our first day at dog training there was a lady with a pug puppy. She was really worried this big black dog was going to eat her puppy. I had to explain very quickly why she reacted that way!!!

[newfsie]

My newfs love any other newf.we have gone to newfie days with 24 plus other newfs and they have nearly all gone off lead and everyone has got on. Most had never met before. Our dogs also seem to prefer black dogs, especially labradors

[The Spotted Devil]

Don't know about other breeds but I think beagles definitely recognise other beagles.

There must be something in it. My ACD grew up with a Beagle called "Bomber".....when I moved away from home, Dolly came with me and Bomber stayed with my parents. For the rest of her days (17 years), if I said "Where's Bomber?" Dolly would rush around and find the nearest Beagle and bunt it in the shoulder, desperately asking it to play She wasn't really keen on dogs, having been attacked by a couple of poodles as a young pup but she adored Beagles and had a real soft spot for Golden Retrievers.

Ziggy tends to play with more wild abandon with other Dallies....especially the bitches

[RallyValley]

Toby loves Rottweilers because our neighbours dog is one.

Lincoln is a snob of all dogs except his family, at 12 weeks it is very cute to see him telling off puppies who get in his face. Will have to see how Lincoln reacts to other dogs he will meet once he starts showing.