Its a great feeling when you’re out walking your dog and another owner comes along the track with the exact same breed as you. Both dogs naturally go bounding towards each other, but does your dog prefer their own breed, over other breeds of dog.
There is no conclusive evidence that suggests dogs prefer their own breed. However some dogs may remember playing with their siblings and realising at that point that they are all similar. Dogs can recognize certain animals from one another so may also be able to understand the differences between breeds.
Contents
Do Dogs Prefer Their Own Breed
Despite there being no evidence pointing towards dogs preferring their own breed, it can be said without much proof that dogs have a special bond with their own breed. This bond comes from early puppyhood when they were playing with their siblings and learning what to do and what not to do.
A dogs short term memory is supposedly terrible lasting around 1 minute, despite this their long term memory has proven to be excellent. You have probably seen the many videos online of owners returning home after a long period of time and their dogs going crazy about their arrival. So knowing that a dogs long term memory is good enough to remember those close to them, it may also be possible that they can remember their siblings from their puppy years.
Your dog may be able to remember the joyous times they spent with their litter and this makes them happy when they see a dog of the same breed. Whether their preference towards that breed is strong, is still not proven but some dogs will still want to see their own breed over another.
Do Dogs Of The Same Breed Get Along Better
If two dogs are from the same litter they will naturally bond well, especially with a dogs protective instincts for family. One major factor that determines how well two dogs get along, is the physical and emotional temperament of those dogs. We know that dogs from the same litter get along, however dogs from different litters but of same breed may not.
Dogs love to play and interact with each other and I often see this on walks. My dog is a large playful golden retriever and he tends to know what dogs he is ok to play with. Smaller dogs who cant take the rough and tumble get cast aside, whereas larger more powerful dogs are given a chance. This can have a major impact on whether dogs prefer their own breed and something you should look out for when walking.
Another reason that the same breed may get along more than different breeds is their characteristics. Some dogs are water dogs, some dogs are great runners and some dogs are smaller. These characteristics can help dogs get along much more easily. Dogs are able to recognize certain characteristics in dogs such as running and swimming after they have seen that breed do those things. They relate these characteristics to their own abilities choosing to like that dog because of these reasons.
Is It Better To Have Two Dogs Of The Same Breed
Many owners will have a time when they decide to get another dog. Companions are a great way to give your dog company and although they love their owners company, having a dog of any breed will give them something they can relate to.
As an owner it can be said that having two dogs of the same breed is better, especially when getting each dog on separate occasions. As an owner you have already learnt many things about your current breed and may have missed opportunities to teach your current dog something before they get too old.
Getting a dog of the same breed can allow you to train them in the ways that worked with your previous dog without much difference. For example if you were to get a more active, energetic dog then you may find it difficult to handle the training as you were used to a breed that trains easily.
Introducing New Dogs To Current Dogs
It can be difficult to introduce new dogs to each other, whether they are the same breed or not. I would recommend that if your not getting a similar breed of dog try to stick with dogs that can handle each others temperaments. To help with this introduction here are a few tips to help you.
- If your worried that your new dogs might present a dominant situation then firstly introduce them in a place where neither have any dominance. Quiet public places are ideal for a first introduction.
- Make sure no toys belonging to your current dog are lying around as this can present a possessive situation.
- Dogs with similar temperaments will get along much better or if one dog is clearly more dominant than another.
- Watch your dogs body language and just keep an eye on how they are acting with each other.
- Try not to feel nervous or anxious as your dog can sense this and will often attempt to protect you from the other dog as they think that is the reason for your anxiety.
- Make sure there is an equal ground between each dog. This means you should have both dogs on a lead or if your confident in your dogs recall both dogs off. Do not put one on a lead and the other not.
- Off lead play is the best way to introduce two dogs, making sure to be in a area of abundant space will help immensely.
Your dog will most likely be ok meeting new dogs and most of the time any growling or tussling is playful. You will know your own dog and recognise when things might start getting out of hand.
Do Dogs Recognize their own Breed
As highlighted previously, dogs have very poor short term memories and better long term memories. In fact recognition revolves around memory. Even as humans, when we meet someone new, we may recognize them from somewhere, this is simply your brain connecting similarities between the new person and people you have met in the past.
A similar process happens to dogs and can be seen a lot of the time when it comes to cars. My dog tends to get excited when he see’s cars that are the same colour as his favourite members of the family. Contrary to popular belief dogs do not see in black and white, instead seeing shades of two colours. When my dog sees a car he is recognizing the colour shade and most likely the shape of the car and jumping to an unfortunate conclusion which often doesn’t prevail. Although there seem to be no detailed studies regarding dogs recognizing their own breed, it can be safe to say if dogs can recognize cars of different shapes and colours then why not the same breed.
Dogs also have a key weapon when it comes to recognition and this is one that us humans do not possess. A dogs strongest asset is their nose, allowing them to figure out everything about what was and what is. Whether a particular breed of dog gives a unique scent off is not known, but because dogs have scent memory they will be able to ascertain whether they have met before. This comes in handy with siblings. Most of the time siblings are separated early on in their life and so a dogs ability to remember siblings through smell could be possible. Check out this article for more information on sibling recognition. “Do Dogs Remember Their Siblings”.
Conclusion
Dogs with similar characteristics will tend to get on well and dogs generally play well together anyway. In conclusion dogs of the same breed will more likely get on with each other, whether this is because they recognize each other as the same breed or they share similar characteristics is yet to be decided. Hopefully you enjoyed this post and if you want to learn more about getting outside with your pooch, then check out our homepage for more great articles.
