Do pets know who their reflections are?
We’ve seen the videos on social media or perhaps your own pet has had an interesting encounter with a mirror! Maybe your pet reacted by barking, bowing or zooming around the room, or perhaps they became aggressive or wary of the image they saw. Conversely, maybe your pet completely ignored what they saw. So the question is, do pets recognize themselves?
When a pet first encounters a mirror, they may react as though they’ve seen another member of their own species. They may even look behind the mirror, looking for the playmate—or intruder— depending on how they “see” themselves. But eventually their attempts at play or aggression have no result. No cat or dog comes running out to play, and no intruder continues the threat by confronting your pet. Soon enough, your pet will begin to pay no attention to the mirrors in your home. In other words, they’ve become habituated to the mirrors. Habituation happens when someone learns not to respond to a previously arousing stimulus—in this case, a mirror! Some pets become habituated to mirrors quickly, while it may take others longer. If a pet encounters a new mirror or one in a new location, they may return to their old behaviors.
While pets can't actually recognize or identify themselves in the mirror, that doesn’t mean they lack intelligence. It takes quite a bit of sophisticated integration of information about yourself and your own movements, and what you're seeing in a mirror, to recognize your reflected image. Our pets—and babies too—don’t have this level of sophistication.
That said, pets may know their body is their own and doesn't belong to someone or something else. For example, animals recognize their own abilities and limitations while performing physical activities such as running, jumping and hunting.
If your pet seems anxious or stressed by looking in a mirror, remove it if possible or divert their attention with a game, toy or treat.
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