Window Mirror
Window Mirror
Why do some dogs bark at their own reflection when the see themselves in a window or a mirror?
Do they think they are looking at another dog when they see their own reflection?!?!
'Clearly', this is so. Dogs being pack animals do not like an apparent stranger 'coming onto their turf'.
Cats, also, react in a similar manner, even though domestic cats are more solitary. Territory is more important here.
The situation is one of self-awareness. You may have seen the experiments shown on T.V. with animals such as Bonobo chimps, elephants, dolphins and bears.
These animals had a white or coloured spot put onto their foreheads and were then shown themselves in a mirror. Bonobos and elephants consistenty touched the spot on their foreheads. This is evidence that they recognised themselves and that something strange had happened to them. Dolphins also touched underwater T.V. pictures of themselves with markings placed on their heads.
The jury is out for the bears! Oddly, humans take some time to develop this awareness of self when the experiment is carried out with very young children. (Don't worry, they catch up!)
Your dog is not stupid; it's just doing what it has to do to survive.
Mirrors
