Hello, I’m Savanna! Read my introduction to study extra about me and my spunky Chihuahua combine, Penny.
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the cutest poochie of all of them?” I say as I desperately maintain Penny as much as a mirror and attempt to get her to work together along with her reflection. I see movies of cats and canines on a regular basis that work together with their reflection in loopy methods, or at the least work together in some approach, so I wish to see how Penny interacts additionally. However I can’t get her to even take a look at herself within the mirror, not to mention reply to it ultimately.
I’ve tried holding her as much as mirrors on the wall, placing her in entrance of mirrors on the ground; she simply received’t search for greater than a second. She does the identical factor while you maintain a digicam as much as take a selfie of her. I had my suspicions about why that was, however this entire state of affairs led me to analysis canines and their reflection in mirrors to see if my suspicions may try. Right here’s what I realized.
Canines Can See Their Reflection
Clearly, canines can see their reflection. We all know this as a result of most canines (aside from Penny, apparently) work together with their reflection ultimately after they see it. Some are fairly curious, tilting their heads this fashion and that, attempting to determine who that canine is that they’re . Different canines could reply instantly with aggression, baring their tooth on the “intruder” canine of their residence.
However most canines will at the least take a look at their reflection, and I can’t get Penny to even take a look at hers. I assume she is aware of it’s there and sees it briefly, however she shortly turns her head away in lower than a second as quickly as I maintain her up in entrance of the mirror, seemingly trying throughout the room wherever however within the mirror.
Do Canines See Their Reflection as Themselves?
That is one other query I had once I was attempting to determine why Penny received’t look in a mirror. What I came upon was that almost all canines don’t see their reflection as being themselves, since canines don’t perceive the aim of mirrors and don’t have a way of self in the best way that we people do.
They do have some sense of self-awareness, nevertheless it’s extra that they acknowledge their very own scent versus the scent of one other canine, and so they can recall reminiscences of themselves. However most canines most likely aren’t going to look in a mirror and acknowledge their ears, paws, tail, or physique as belonging to them, since they’ll’t choose up on the scent, even when the canine of their reflection is making the identical actions they’re.
So, some canines might even see their reflection as one other canine, however one which they’ll’t scent. Now it’s beginning to make sense…
Right here’s Why I Assume Penny Received’t Take a look at Her Reflection
Since canines use smell as a key way of communication, it could make some canines actually uneasy to see themselves within the mirror as a result of they’ll’t get a superb sense of the opposite canine.
I feel Penny received’t take a look at her reflection as a result of she’s not the confrontational kind. She doesn’t actually have an excellent “nervous” or aggressive persona, however somewhat she’s passive and shy round individuals and different animals she doesn’t know. You may even name her “socially awkward” in immediately’s lingo.
When she sees one other canine, she doesn’t react aggressively. She simply merely turns away from them and tries to faux they aren’t there as an alternative. It’s virtually like she’s attempting actually arduous to make herself invisible. She does the identical factor to 2 of our cats. Don’t get me incorrect, she’s positively inquisitive about different canines, cats, and other people, however as quickly as they begin attempting to work together along with her, she doesn’t need something to do with them.
It is sensible to me now why she received’t take a look at her reflection. I feel she sees it as one other canine and never as herself, so she would somewhat simply keep away from contact with it in any respect prices. I could also be completely off-base with this, nevertheless it’s what makes essentially the most sense to me.
It virtually makes me marvel that if canines may scent their reflection, would Penny acknowledge it as being herself and work together with it? However I suppose that is one thing we’ll by no means know, since reflections don’t have a scent.
So, Penny Isn’t Simply Bizarre After All
Now I do know that Penny isn’t simply bizarre. A number of canines won’t interact with their reflection as a result of they might see it as one other canine they’ll’t scent and it freaks them out. As a lot as I want I may get a humorous video of how Penny interacts along with her reflection, I don’t assume that shall be occurring any time within the foreseeable future. The excellent news is that at the least I lastly did get her to have a look at her reflection lengthy sufficient to take a selfie with me, however she nonetheless had no response to it in anyway, and she or he solely appeared for half a second. Oh properly, I suppose that’s higher than nothing!