A report emerging from the Harvard University School of Veterinary Medicine has found that, contrary to popular belief, your dog actually does understand that the reflection he sees in the mirror is his own — he just wishes with all his being that this was not the case.
“We often see dogs growling at their reflections in the mirror or becoming agitated by the movement of their mirror image,” said Lead Researcher Friedrich McDormand. “Up until now, we assumed this meant they didn’t recognize themselves and were perplexed by the appearance of this ‘other dog.’ The reality is much more complex and existential. They know it’s them, but that knowledge comes with a price.”
The report found that dogs appear angry or agitated upon seeing their reflections because they are reckoning with the fact that they are dogs and trapped in a mortal form, a realization which plagues them immensely.
“Dogs spend most of their lives around humans, and our research found that they generally assume they are also human,” Friedrich continued. “That is, until they are proven wrong by seeing themselves in the mirror. It’s a really distressing moment.”
“I would spend a long time sitting with my dog as he looked at himself in the mirror,” said local dog owner Haley Deemer. “And I would say, ‘That’s you! That’s you!’ while pointing at the reflection. This never brought him any solace, and now I think I finally understand why. He knew it was him. He was just mulling over the idea of corporeality.”
Further research pinpointed that if dogs whine upon seeing themselves in the mirror, they are crying because they just realized what they look like, and they don’t like it.
As for what you can do to support your dog through this traumatic experience, Friedrich says you should avoid saying, “That’s you!”: “They already know it’s them. Try saying something like, ‘That’s you, but that’s not all that you are,’ or ‘You are who you choose to be, and physical form is just one part of that equation.’ Soothing phrases like this can go a long way to help a dog that is in crisis.”
Friedrich stressed that while dogs do know it is them in the mirror, dog owners should not assume their pets always know the fundamental truth. For example, if a doorbell rings in a TV show and your dog freaks out, it is still important to bring them to the front door, let them peep out the window, and say, “See? No one’s there!” but you don’t have to be all superior about it.
