I don't know, but my wife says so and I guess some might. We ran into a puppy the other day and my dog who usually isn't really playful in the morning, specially not with strange dogs, started to play with it and had a good time. They were the same breed. I wonder what are the experiences of other dogowners? The best would be similar stories (tests), when the dog changes its usual behaviour around the same breed...
My sense is that in general, 'no' though I am quite sure they could be trained to. But dogs definitely recognize puppies and tailor their play accordingly, even tough bully dogs pretending to lose in play fights to them. Of course some dogs will simply bite them in two, but in general I see dogs as adapting to puppies. In fact I think many mammals are much more likely to treat young better - if they are encountered in less clearly prey predator situations. A lioness charging a group of water buffalo will not be nice to a young one it catches.
In my experience, German Shepherds apparently do. Also, although it's harder to tell, Akitas seem to. And dogs that are related - even if they've never met - seem to have smoother social exchanges. But that's all anecdote.
I think mine do to a certain extent. Two of them are Lurcher/German Shepherd crosses, and their mother was the Lurcher. So now when they see any long legged, racing type dog, they get very excited. Males too, so I'm sure it's fond memories of the general shape, rather than thinking it's their mother. But they also recognise Weimaraners, and they don't like those. I think it's the eyes, 'cos they always grumble when they see one with blue eyes.
Many eons ago when I had a dog he got along well with all other dogs that he met. I do not think that a dog can recognize other breeds but does recognize the distinct smells that other dogs have. Puppies have a different smell than a middle aged dog or a old dog.
It depends on the species,, Some dogs are Naturally smart, others aggressive, and others just stupid.
My dogs, both of which are white, get excited when they see other white dogs (of any breed: westie, poodle, maltese, etc.). I am not sure that is them recognizing their breed so much as perhaps recogniozing themselves. Both my dogs recognize their own reflections and images of themselves in videos readily enough).
Ah, now one of my Lurcher/Shepherd crosses gets very excited when he sees dogs with light coloured coats. His first sexual experience was with a Labrador, and now he tries to shag anything with a light coat. Males included.
We raise Lhasa Apsos, one of the most anti-social, solitude-tolerant breeds, so I can't give you any personal experience. They don't like dogs of any breed very much. But if they do recognize their own gene pool, it will certainly be by smell. That's their most powerful sense. The "keen-eyed" breeds like poodles and greyhounds have vision comparable to about 20/100 on the human scale, and the others would qualify as legally blind. Some breeds have very good hearing (Lhasas do) but I don't see how that would help them tell what kind of dog is out there, unless he's barking his head off.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_test dogs don't pass the mirror test so are not thought of as self aware. if they are not self aware how would they recognise a dog of the same breed?
The mirror test isn't equivalent with other dogs, because well, they don't smell and act different in the mirror, so I wouldn't base anything on that alone...
I think dogs may outsmart that test. Both of my dogs get excited at the sight of another dog, even on TV or a picture on a monitor, both were very interested in their reflections as puppies, but have since lost their interest. Both also show no reaction to seeing video of themselves on TV (though, again, any other dog, and they react).
Real life = 3D. Mirror = 2D. Not a good 'reflection' of reality! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Other species recognise their sub-species readily. You don't see sparrows trying to get it on with blackbirds, so why wouldn't another non-self aware animal recognise others like it?
I googled the problem and there are similar threads on other forums with more experiences. The answer is, certain breeds most certainly recognize their own breed. Boxers were mentioned as one, who prefers to play with its own kind. This observation was based when in a dogpark a newcomer boxer had the choice of 20 different dogs but choose to play with another boxer. Now this kind of test, a negative test (my dog plays with everyone) is not evidence of anything, but a positive test (my shepherd prefers other shepherds) does provide evidence. It could mean though that owners of the same breeds tend to stick together... My guess is that dogs might remember their puppy days and the litter and meeting the same breed might bring back those fond memories. Also I am not a scent expert, but certain breeds could have distinct smells that is preferable to the same kind...
Imprinting. Does your Shepperd prefer other Shepperds because Shepperds prefer other Shepperds, or because your Shepperd was raised around other Shepperds?
I have a German Shepherd and a "chiweenie " (half "wiener dog"/half Chihuahua ). I haven't noticed different behavior with different breeds, but we don't seem to run into many other Shepherds or chiweenie 's, so that might be the reason. I have noticed a huge difference in the intelligence of my two dogs. The Shepherd is very smart, the chiweenie is an idiot. For instance, if we're watching TV and someone on the show rings a doorbell; the chiweenie goes nuts and runs to the front door barking. The Shepherd isn't fooled at all. It just sits there unless someone is actually at the door. Then it goes nuts too. Just for the hell of it, here's my German Shepherd: Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! And here's the Chiweenie running right behind it: Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
That's a ridiculous test for a dog! Most dogs have terrible eyesight. Their brains are also programmed to see moving objects more clearly than stationary objects. If he's standing still, there's a good chance he can't even figure out what that is in the mirror, much less who. By pheromones, as I noted in my first post. Their sense of smell is something like 1,000 times more powerful than ours. They have several orders of magnitude more receptors in their nose than we do. There's a tremendous difference among breeds. Performing dogs like poodles and Maltese and those choreographed herding dogs like border collies are really bright because they have to be to do their jobs. Lhasa Apsos, on the other hand, are about as smart as a sack of hammers--their job is to sit and listen for burglars trying to break into the Buddhist monastery, and then bark to tell the monks to turn the Tibetan mastiffs loose. All the other breeds fall at various points on that rather wide scale. But for dogs in general, intelligence is one of the three major differences between the two subspecies: Canis lupus lupus (the wolf) and C. lupus familiaris (the dog). Dogs have spent twelve thousand years adapting to the lower-protein diet of a scavenger, so they have smaller brains. The other two differences are: Teeth. Wolves have to be able to rip the flesh off of their kill before the scavengers get there. Dogs have to be able to chew up and swallow everything they find in the garbage. Alpha instinct. It's very strong in wolves and you seldom see a wolf pack with more than ten members. Feral dogs gather in huge packs, and domestic dogs accept the leadership of another species.
http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s953902.htm actually it is the construction of the eye itself which allow them to see moving objects more clearly. and not all dogs eye's are the same.
Fraggle. You should write a book on dogs. Have you seen the experiment where they breed the immaturity out of dogs? They become very nasty creatures.
