How does a dog's memory work?

That's pretty much my question: how does a dog's memory work? Obviously dogs can remember things (ie - form long-term memories), but in what sense is that true?

From what I've read (just on the internet, so not anything substantiated by much) dogs simply form associations between their own feelings on something (pleasant/painful/etc) and a stimulus. When they see that stimulus again, they "remember" that feeling and then act accordingly. They can't "pull up" memories in the sense that we can (like remembering a past vacation or meal).

So if I left a room angry at a dog, stayed away for an hour, then came back, would the dog "remember" my anger from before, or just pick up whatever cue I was giving off at the time I walked back in? And when I leave, for the span of that hour, would the dog "think about" those events that just occurred, or would they stop thinking about it the second I left the room, because their own cue to the anger was me? And could a dog associate an inanimate object with getting in trouble/a correction? Is that how they learn not to exhibit unwanted behaviours?

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Permalink Reply by Jeremy, Ashley, and Addy-Bell on May 16, 2010 at 3:52pm

I don't know if all dogs can remember actual events or objects which are in another time and place from the here and now - but I have seen some evidence that my Corgi can. Corgis are very very smart, so its possible that they and some other breeds might remember more than, say, a Chihuahua or some other less brainy dog.

I was particularly struck by my Addy-Bell's memory the day after she was spayed. She had a rough day the day of the operation, lots of obvious pain and little strength to move or do anything (I almost took her back to the vet). We had been eating popcorn that night, and I didn't even realize we had dropped any, but she had neither will nor desire to get it. BUT, the next day, she got up and seemed to be feeling better - and here is where the memory comes in - the first thing she did when we let her out of her kennal was to trot into the living room and retrieve two pieces of fallen popcorn, very deliberatly, as if she remembered exactly where she had seen them fall the night before. That just blew me away.

I have no scientific or experimental evedince that any dogs, my Addy-Bell included, remember more than feelings associated with a stimulus - but being around her makes me inclined to believe that she can, in fact, pull up some bits and pieces of memory of things and events. I know she definatly shows signs of knowing what I'm talking about when I use specific words (especially "ball", "kitty" and "buggy (for bug)").