[evan_au (OP)]

Many people say that their dog recognizes them

On Naked Neuroscience this week, they reported on a story comparing the responses of dog and human brains to images of (dog and human faces) vs the back of (dog and human) heads.
- They used an MRI machine to study human and dog(!) brains
- They reported that while humans have a distinct brain region for recognizing individuals, dogs do not.
- This finding suggests that dogs do not recognize people by sight, but by other senses.
See/Listen: https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/interviews/can-dogs-recognise-their-owners-faces

Recently, I was on the far end of a Zoom meeting, and my wife reported that as soon as my voice came through, our dog started hunting around. This suggests that my dog can recognize my voice.

My dog also recognizes when my wife arrives in her car - also sound-oriented.

From playing various "hide and seek" games with my dog, I can see that my dog is very smell-oriented; when he gets near his target, he can home in very quickly. They have an advantage over humans, as dogs can "smell around corners".

How does your dog recognize you?

[alancalverd]

Recognition of sound is probably the most fundamental function of the conscious brain. AFAIK it is located in the cerebellum which is at least as large in a dog as in a human, and hearing is said to be the last of the senses to function in the dying brain.The exceptional range of canine hearing (probably up to 40 kHz), threshold sensitivity and directional sensing, are reasons that we use dogs for guarding and hunting.

One of my dogs recognised the sound of my father's car every evening when it was still well out of sight. This would have been of no consequence if he came home at the same time or we lived in the countryside, but we lived on a main suburban bus route with plenty of other folk coming home between 5 and 7 pm. The dog would jump up on a chair and stare out of the window about 40 seconds before the car turned into our driveway.

Special Forces are well aware a dog's sensitivity to and interest in an unfamiliar smell: washing with soap is forbidden for several days before any close contact mission. It's quite likely that your dog recognises both the sound and odor of your breathing, even if you don't speak or walk.

Directional smell is also amazing. The ability to close one nostril seems to be coupled with the ability to determine which way a rabbit crossed a path several minutes ago - or so I am told. It seems improbable  until you read about sharks being able to locate the source of tiny amounts of blood at several hundred yards.

Face it, compared with other species, humans are practically deaf and blind as well as stupid.

[likehumansdo]

I found a study with a contrary position. (No Links allowed so just google: Selective attention to humans in companion dogs, Canis familiaris) I read about it in an article. Apparently they let the dogs watch their owner and a random person walk through separate doors. The dogs mostly followed their owners and picked their door. However as soon as the started repeating the experiment with conceiling the faces of the people, the dogs were not that confident anymore. Also the age of the dog impacts their ablity to recognize faces.
I dont have a dog personally but my parents do. She is however extremely remarkable in recognizing family members without actually seeing them. She gets excited and barks at the door 30 seconds before someone comes in. The only thing she probably perceives is the noise of the elevator. However if other people in the building use the elevator she does not show any signs of excitement. I dont understand how she can know who is in the elevator, while she is locked in the flat. It is honestly quite impressive.

[Zer0]

The Study does Not hold a Contrary Position.
Selective Attention & Unrecognition are Two Separate things.

Concealing Faces or Masking, can easily be interpreted as a Stranger/Invader.

But Obvious the Pet would like to Monitor & keep a check on Wrongdoings.

P.S. - Elevators have shafts running from Ground floor to the Top floor.
Air passages provide fragrances & body odour to move freely.
Dogs Sniff Alot!
🐕

[Halc]

There are videos of guys greeting their dogs after having shaved off their beards. That's a big visual difference with nothing else changed. The dogs were very confused and looked around for where the real owner was. Smell and sound was not enough when the visual image didn't match.

[Bored chemist]

Recognition of sound is probably the most fundamental function of the conscious brain.

That's not how everyone sees it.

[CliffordK]

There are videos of guys greeting their dogs after having shaved off their beards. That's a big visual difference with nothing else changed. The dogs were very confused and looked around for where the real owner was. Smell and sound was not enough when the visual image didn't match.

I've been with a beard and beardless, and Mom's dog's reaction is the same.

I think the dogs also recognize vehicles associated with people from bicycles to cars,  and those can change from time to time.

As far as visual stimuli, at times, Mom's dog will watch her while she is inside a restaurant. 

Mom doesn't whistle, I do.  At times she has been convinced her dog doesn't respond to whistles, but he responds well to me whistling. 

When Mom and Dad's previous dog was a puppy, they picked him up about 100 miles away, and we met at a restaurant on the way back home.  Everything would have been new for the puppy, but I petted it for about 1 minute in the back seat of the car.  Then I didn't see them for about 2 months.  Meanwhile the puppy developed a strong attachment to my parents, and even nipped outsiders, including my aunt and grandmother.  They were convinced that he would not like me...  but on the contrary...  I was immediately "family" within seconds of returning.  My brother hadn't had that early exposure, but I think his introduction also went reasonably smoothly.

It is hard to say.  I think the puppy remembered me from that first brief introduction, but there may be an innate ability to recognize certain family members.  It is hard to say about other smells.  Grandma always used a strong smelling hand lotion.  I don't know about the aunt.

[Zer0]

The Bearded vs Shaved might be due to the Aftershave Lotion.
Perhaps a sudden Visual & Fragrance difference might be confusing them for a little while.

Maybe Our Friends with Paws realize & understand We are trying to play peek-a-boo games with em.
Hence, they simply play along.

I had viewed a terrible, fearful, brain thrilling & spine chilling video of a poor pup during Halloween...
Here it is.

[/font]


P.S. - *Warning* - Graphic Video, Not for the faint hearted

[charles1948]

There are videos of guys greeting their dogs after having shaved off their beards. That's a big visual difference with nothing else changed. The dogs were very confused and looked around for where the real owner was. Smell and sound was not enough when the visual image didn't match.

I've often wondered how animals such as dogs, cope with our human custom of wearing different clothes. These can make us look very different visually, from one day to another. To an animal which doesn't wear clothes, and so presumably doesn't have the concept of varying its appearance by such means, the variations in human appearance might be expected to cause confusion. This reminds me of Swift, if you get what I mean.

[evan_au (OP)]

there may be an innate ability to recognize certain family members

It would not surprise me if dogs had the ability to distinguish pack/family members from non-members, by smell.

Various species have been tested for sexual preference, and they tend to prefer mates who are less closely related, presumably to reduce inbreeding, or maximise diversity in the immune system (MHC complex).
- Humans may also have this ability, but it may be subconscious.
- Some human societies make it a regular practice to marry cousins

[Just thinking]

It would not surprise me if dogs had the ability to distinguish pack/family members from non-members,

Dog as well as most wild animals have abilities that by far exceed that of the human regarding their sensors. Dogs are probably tested and studied more than most other animals due to demand and popularity. As intelligent as a dog maybe it can be rather unpredictable as to just how it might respond to a given situation. A dogs tendency to display what we may consider being a negative disposition can be jealousy this has been displayed as a very unfortunate occurrence when the family arrives home with a new baby certainly not all dogs are dangerous but much care must be taken for families in this situation. Most humans are probably smarter than dogs regarding perception that is we should know what to avoid having said that if we were to be in a situation like lost in the outback we could succumb to the abilities of a dog or moor so that of pack dogs. So I guess my point is that the greatest need we and all animals have is the intelligence required to survive and dogs have a great advantage over us in that department at least in their natural surroundings. I should add that as far as recognizing goes using a shaven beard as an example I think many people particularly children and animals will be confused as the person that just shaved their face may never have been seen with this change before leading to confusion more than anything else.

[gem]

Hi all,
So this reminds me of a story told to me separately by the driver of a rover 3500 and the landlord of a local rural pub.

Now the pub was the place where the owner frequented regularly and on one particular night after consuming several drinks he made his way home only to be greeted by his dog barking and barking wanting to get outside so out the dog goes and is continuing to bark in the yard for no apparent reason.

So he asks his wife has the dog been like this all night, as he’s worried someone may be up to no good as he has lots of valuable stock on the premises.

No says the wife he started as you arrived.

Anyway  a short while later the phone rings, and the wife picks it up. It’s the landlord,
yes he’s back but he’s out in the sheds making sure everything is ok as the dogs going mad, ok says the landlord
But when he’s done with that can you tell him to get his arse back here as he’s taken mr Jones rover 3500 car home.

I still haven’t decided who told the story best the landlord the driver or the wife
😂