What do dogs really make of mirrors?  We have recently bought a wardrobe with a full door mirror. Our 18mth standard poodle lies on the bed facing it stirring at it for hours on end, when I am in the room she is watching me via the mirror.  She isn't barking but she did the first time.  I don't know what to make of it and realise this is the first mirror we've had in the house so no idea what previous dogs did.  The toy poodle completely ignores it, although she is 13 and almost blind.  What are your ideas?  Do they know it's their reflection?

Two stories of my dogs and mirrors. My little terrier Spice soon after I had her jumped off the bed staight into the mirrored wardrobe to hit it nose first. My young dog was training recently in an indoor school and stopped on top of the A frame to bark at her scary reflection in the mirror.

My Bedlingtons certainly understand mirrors :)

The first time they saw themselves in one they went a bit bananas, trying to play with the other pup, but then as soon as I appeared in the mirror they did a 'double take' and after that seemed to realise that they are looking at themselves.  It's fun though before they realise as they seem to get so excited LOL

Other dogs I have had have tried to look for objects behind the TV that have disappeared offscreen.   Our old Afghan X used to love watching one man and his dog and would search for ages for the tiny sheep which he was convinced were roaming behind the TV stand.  He'd also go chase the balls at Wimbledon, as if they'd land behind the TV, he was a bit of a one-off dog though who also like wearing sunglasses and would 'ask' to borrow mine  :-D

The Bedlingtons seem to know that these things aren't going to be behind the TV, although the oldest one does get carried away when watching Wolves or Bears and will give them a real telling off for being in her living room LOL

Think some do and some don't, have owned dogs that I am sure are aware that the image is them and others who obviously think it another dogs that is somewhat strange.

My last dog used to sit on our bed and growl & bark at his reflection in the dressing table mirror.

Buster met himself in the mirror a couple of years ago. We were re-decorating so had our large mirror from the livingroom wall propped up on the hallway floor. Bust caught sight of himself and got all happy & excited about the dog he had just found in the mirror, however after lots of sniffing and even looking behind the mirror, he decided the scent-free dog was too boring to bother with.
He caught sight of me in the mirror, I was stood behind him waiting to put his harness on for his walk, he seemed very confused to see me in the mirror, but did a lovely attentive sit, with his paw raised, ready for my reflection to put his harness on, bless him :)

We've tried showing him other mirrors, but he has no interest in them atall after his first encounter.

My cat caught sight of her reflection in our pond, she leapt in the air in fright, screaming & hissing - she wont peek over the edge of the pond now!

> Do they know it's their reflection?

I have no idea if dogs are capable of that sort of self-awareness or not???? I believe elephant are capable of figuring out that it is thier refelction they are seeing, I remember seeing a programme about things like that a while back, the theory was proved when an elephant reached for the blue mark that had been pained on it's face, when it saw the blue mark on it's face in it's reflection.
I suppose, as Buster waited for my reflection to put on his harness, rather than turning around to face me, proves that he wasn't capable of realising waht he saw in the mirror was a reflection - but that does not mean all dogs think like that - Bust might very well be a thicko!

ETA, the elephant reached towards it's actual face, to touch the blue mark that it had spotted in it's reflection.

Must say that in all the dogs I have known only one gave me the distinct impression that she knew the image was hers and I am convinced of this, had to be a female didn't it! With the others some obviously did not understand but they were in the minority as others may have done but I am not sure what they thought as after a few investigations they ignore the image and show no sign of thinking it is anything but a reflection looking at me in the mirror but turning if a titbit was on offer.

My home grown pups are used to mirrors from very young as I stack them on a table with a mirror at the same level, this allows me to see both sides without moving.

I took my latest bitch round to my Mum to check on her wound from a recent op, Maizie followed me to the bedroom and spotted the mirror and sat staring at it, then she spotted me and kept looking at me then the mirror till I finished, as she walked out of the rppm she looked over her shoulder as if to check whether the other dog had gone.

I have mirror doors in one of my bedrooms which the dogs have grown up with and haven't noticed any odd behaviour over the years.

She's been at it again, totally fascinated with it.  After reading all your posts I'm now convinced she knows it is herself but haven't a clue how I would test this theory.  Everyone says she's very vane, she has that look about her, sort of looks down her nose at you lol, then poodles are a bit like that.  I think she is a bit obsessed to be honest, she doesn't pass the mirror without a posing session!

> one gave me the distinct impression that she knew the image was hers and I am convinced of this, had to be a female didn't it!

LOL, smart girlie :)

> they ignore the image and show no sign of thinking it is anything but a reflection looking at me in the mirror but turning if a titbit was on offer.

That has is smart, to be able to figure out that they need to turn around.
Buster wouldn't have thought to turn around, so I'm inclined to think then, that it's him that is a dim-wit, rather than dogs in general not being able to figure out what a reflection is! :)

That brings back memories. My first dog was a rescue, so in 1984 when I was about to get my first puppy, my mum and I both read a book about puppies that was highly recommended at the time as a "Puppy Bible". (Swedish, of course.) In it it said that you can test how clever your puppy is by showing it a mirror. An intelligent puppy will look BEHIND the mirror to see where the puppy is when it can't touch it in the mirror. (Don't ask me if that is true or not!) My mum still to this day tells the story of how clever Jesper did just that, went behind the mirror to try to find the puppy from the mirror.

it does vary... Sophie (big black GSD who thinks she's tiny) caught sight of herself in the caravan mirror and went mad... screaming that there 'was a big black wolf in the caravan' much to the other dogs' amusement who seemed to say 'yes, we know, it's you!' but she nearly wet herself....

on the other hand, Oswy has been caught looking at his reflection in a way the Cat off Red Dwarf looks at his reflection... as if to say 'yes, I really am that handsome, and no hairs out of place'....

both very funny!

just thought, some of my dogs actually look in the mirror in the car so they can see my face... which is quite clever, although these days of having a van, dogs in cages and no mirror this doesn't happen much :-)

One clever girl of mine knows exactly how they work.

On a Sunday morning i have breakfast in bed, I have a mirrored wardrobe. She knows she isn't allowed to sit and watch me eat so she turns her back to me and watches me in the mirror, if i hold a crust out to her behind her back she whips round and scoffs it.

My Lola recognises herself in the mirror, she has not done it so much recently but when she was a bit younger she would watch herself in the mirror - vain girl she would also watch me through my car mirror!  Roxy first noticed herself in the mirror a little while ago.  She stopped, had a look behind it and then carried on and has ignored it since.

I looked after a friends mongrel years ago.  When he first came in the house he saw himself.  Physically jumped up in the air off all fours, and spent a good period of time springing to one then the other side of the mirror to try to catch this dog he kept seeing.  In the end I had to cover it up with a blanket!!

None of my American Cockers ever paid any attention to mirrors, but the pugs react to their reflection in mirrors and reflective surfaces,  they even react to pictures of pugs (not other dogs) there is a series of largeish pug pics on the wall at the training class, and almost oall of hte pugs interact with the photos, particularly one of them which shows a pug on the beach.  There are also photos of Cavaliers, but non of the pugs pays any attention to them at all.

When we do overnights in hotels for shows have to make sure any full length mirrors are covered at the lower end to stop pug "conversations" wiht their reflections.

My Golden Boy does exactly that.  When I am driving, he stands and watches me in the mirror. 
I have a floor to ceiling mirror in the bedroom.   He knows he is looking at himself in the mirror but he likes to watch me and he will look at my reflection and make a noise in his throat to attract my attention and when I look at his reflection in the mirror, he wags madly and smiles (yes, smiles!) widely at me.   He will always position himself so that he can watch my reflection.  
Its just strange!   But then I do think he is a brain box and no one dares contradict me!!

We had a big one leant up ,on the floor whilst  decorating .... the pekes looked at themselves and set off to look behind it ..to find the other dogs ...comical.

One of my boys sits on the toilet admiring himself in the mirror, hes never acted as if he thinks its another dog.  Just looking at himself and thinking to himself yep mums right when she tells me Im gorgeous and handsome.......lol