How long do you reckon dogs remember people for?

With one of my last litter who left home at 8 weeks, I didn't get to see her again till she was 18 months old, and according to her new family she reacted to me like she does to them, and nobody else! She was thrilled - which is very flattering! I must do something right!

How long do you think this memory will last, as I don't want to visit if she gets distressed when I leave. :)

I seen one of my pups at 7 monyhs and he left home at 8 weeks, they said he never acts like that with any one except them. He was jumping all over like he was very glad to see us, comes to visit and play u would think he still lived with us. :)

Now we see him all most once a week, he gets so excited.

I think it comes down to remembering the smell. I know dogs have very good sense of smell :)

ttfn :)

I reckon my very first dog remembered an old school friend of mine who came to see me seven years after moving out of the area!

John

Savvy saw her breeders 7 months after we got her and she went crazy for Dawn. Then we didn't see them for over a year, but she still went nuts for her. I think they know. It may be visual, it may be a scent memory, but they know!

Wend

My Lab, Maia, is 13 months old now. We go to see her breeder, Nicolla, occasionally and Maia is immediately totally at home there. I have no doubt at all that she remembers and loves Nicolla. Apparently, she even does the things that her mum used to do!!

They will remember their breeder especially for years. After all the breeder is probably the first human contact they had when their eyes and ears opened, and were familiar with their smell from birth.

All the pups that I have bred and not met for a while have done a double take and obviously recognised me, especially once they could smell and hear my voice.

Our GBGV bitch goes mad when she sees her breeder. With strangers, she can be a bit wary. Our male (from same breeder) is totally friendly with everyone he meets, so don't know if he remembers her.

I sold a puppy I'd bred, early last year and saw him again at Crufts, a year or so later and his owner was convinced he remembered me. He seemed very happy to see me, but he was friendly with everyone so i'll have to take her word for it! It was lovely to see him again, I like to think he really did remember me.

These stories are all lovely! :) We must be doing something right, that our babies remember us with love! What nice people we must be! :)