Hi, I’m Savanna! Read my introduction to study extra about me and my spunky Chihuahua combine, Penny.
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the cutest poochie of all of them?” I say as I desperately maintain Penny as much as a mirror and attempt to get her to work together together with her reflection. I see movies of cats and canine on a regular basis that work together with their reflection in loopy methods, or not less than work together in some means, so I need to see how Penny interacts additionally. But I can’t get her to even take a look at herself within the mirror, not to mention reply to it indirectly.
I’ve tried holding her as much as mirrors on the wall, placing her in entrance of mirrors on the ground; she simply gained’t search for greater than a second. She does the identical factor while you maintain a digital camera as much as take a selfie of her. I had my suspicions about why that was, however this complete state of affairs led me to analysis canine and their reflection in mirrors to see if my suspicions would possibly take a look at. Here’s what I discovered.
Dogs Can See Their Reflection
Obviously, canine can see their reflection. We know this as a result of most canine (apart from Penny, apparently) work together with their reflection indirectly after they see it. Some are fairly curious, tilting their heads this fashion and that, making an attempt to determine who that canine is that they’re taking a look at. Other canine might reply instantly with aggression, baring their tooth on the “intruder” canine of their house.
But most canine will not less than take a look at their reflection, and I can’t get Penny to even take a look at hers. I assume she is aware of it’s there and sees it briefly, however she shortly turns her head away in lower than a second as quickly as I maintain her up in entrance of the mirror, seemingly wanting throughout the room wherever however within the mirror.
Do Dogs See Their Reflection as Themselves?
This is one other query I had once I was making an attempt to determine why Penny gained’t look in a mirror. What I came upon was that the majority canine don’t see their reflection as being themselves, since canine don’t perceive the aim of mirrors and don’t have a way of self in the way in which that we people do.
They do have some sense of self-awareness, however it’s extra that they acknowledge their very own scent versus the scent of one other canine, and so they can recall recollections of themselves. But most canine in all probability aren’t going to look in a mirror and acknowledge their ears, paws, tail, or physique as belonging to them, since they’ll’t choose up on the scent, even when the canine of their reflection is making the identical actions they’re.
So, some canine may even see their reflection as one other canine, however one which they’ll’t scent. Now it’s beginning to make sense…
Here’s Why I Think Penny Won’t Look at Her Reflection
Since canine use smell as a key way of communication, it could make some canine actually uneasy to see themselves within the mirror as a result of they’ll’t get a superb sense of the opposite canine.
I feel Penny gained’t take a look at her reflection as a result of she’s not the confrontational kind. She doesn’t actually have a brilliant “nervous” or aggressive persona, however slightly she’s passive and shy round folks and different animals she doesn’t know. You would possibly even name her “socially awkward” in immediately’s lingo.
When she sees one other canine, she doesn’t react aggressively. She simply merely turns away from them and tries to faux they aren’t there as an alternative. It’s nearly like she’s making an attempt actually exhausting to make herself invisible. She does the identical factor to 2 of our cats. Don’t get me flawed, she’s undoubtedly interested in different canine, cats, and other people, however as quickly as they begin making an attempt to work together together with her, she doesn’t need something to do with them.
It is smart to me now why she gained’t take a look at her reflection. I feel she sees it as one other canine and never as herself, so she would slightly simply keep away from contact with it in any respect prices. I could also be completely off-base with this, however it’s what makes probably the most sense to me.
It nearly makes me marvel that if canine might scent their reflection, would Penny acknowledge it as being herself and work together with it? But I assume that is one thing we’ll by no means know, since reflections don’t have a scent.
So, Penny Isn’t Just Weird After All
Now I do know that Penny isn’t simply bizarre. A whole lot of canine won’t interact with their reflection as a result of they could see it as one other canine they’ll’t scent and it freaks them out. As a lot as I want I might get a humorous video of how Penny interacts together with her reflection, I don’t suppose that will probably be occurring any time within the foreseeable future. The excellent news is that not less than I lastly did get her to take a look at her reflection lengthy sufficient to take a selfie with me, however she nonetheless had no response to it in anyway, and he or she solely appeared for half a second. Oh nicely, I assume that’s higher than nothing!