Among the many questions dog lovers wonder in relevance to dog behavior and intelligence is do dogs recognize their own breed. In dog forums, this question is commonly discussed and most of the responses from random people, especially dog owners, are shared experiences and observances.
The common scenario I’ve read is when a particular breed of dog initially makes contact, whether in an aggressive or friendly manner, with its own breed among a crowd of several dogs of various breeds. This usually happens in the park during dog playtime. I, too, have noticed this behavior with Aeddy, our five-year-old Rottweiler. In one occasion, he followed our neighbor’s mutt while we were out for a walk. He sniffed the mutt’s butt then after a few seconds, he lunged his right front paw on to the mutt’s behind. There was tension between the two boys and we had to separate them right away. A few blocks away, there was my childhood friend who also lives in the same street as ours. Me and Aeddy walked towards them, my neighbor and his mutt in tow. While Aeddy and the mutt had their bad vibes moment with each other, I’ve noticed that Aeddy was more calm and friendly after he sniffed Hachi, my friend’s dog. By the way, Hachi is Aeddy’s biological brother, which means both of them are Rotts. So, I also wondered if dogs recognize their own breed, and family member for that matter.
I haven’t read any study or research that confirms dog recognition of its own breed; however, studies about dog intelligence support its possibility. Psychologist Kathy Coon intelligence test for dogs was revised in 2003 to assess dogs’ development in memory, adaptation, problem solving, and stigma reaction. One hundred dogs were tested and compared, all of which showed significant intelligence. Meanwhile, Stanley Coren came up with a list of rankings of dog breeds, from the most intelligent to the fair intelligent breeds.
Although there are no formal studies done on dog recognition of its own breed—even Cesar Milan the dog whisperer cannot confirm—the innate animal instinct and unbelievable intelligence of dogs may be convincing grounds to its possibility.
I have noticed that 90 percent of forum responses believe that dogs recognize their own breed amidst being in a crowd of diverse breeds of dogs. I, too, believe it, not only because of written researches or studies but exceedingly due to my personal observations.
