Confused Dogs Try To Communicate With Pug Statue

We find that it is always interesting when our pets interact with fake versions of themselves. As an example, the Boxer and the Pug in this video are trying to communicate with a fake pug statue that their owner is holding. We believe that both dogs think the statue is real. It is partly why you see, especially with the Boxer, the two dogs exhibiting play invitations. Uneducated guess, but I believe that the dogs are barking not in play but in confusion as to why their new pug friend is not responding to them.

As if to say, “Dude, why aren’t you responding? Talk to us.” If you are a long time viewer of America’s Funniest Home Videos you have probably seen plenty of clips of dogs or cats acting confused or excited by seeing themselves in the mirror. But can dogs recognize themselves in the mirror? We looked around and found a few articles. It turns out that dogs can recognize themselves but not by sight. They do so with their sense of smell. It’s part of why dogs mark trees and things with their urine or the scent paws on their feet when they back scratch dirt after going the bathroom.

It comes down the question of whether or not scientists think dogs have a sense of self the way humans, apes or dolphins do. One woman did a study that used dog urine to determine whether or not dogs could recognize their own and mark it as theirs. She concluded that dogs do have some self-awareness, but the study is not without its critics and the results were not viewed the same by other animal experts. It will be interesting to see if more comes from this study!