SMELL -DOGS- SIGHT

By: Naila

Dogs recognize themselves in test based on smells, not sight:

Imagine a species that lived in a world of smells and didn't pay a lot of attention to what things look like.

What would members of that species use for a mirror?

Yes, of course we are talking about dogs, who usually don't seem to understand the mirrors humans use. Sometimes they ignore them. Often they bark as if the dog in the mirror were a stranger.

Scientists use mirrors to find out if animals recognize themselves, to see if they have some sense of self. Chimpanzees  do very well on what is called the mirror test.

Alexandra Horowitz, a psychologist at  Bernard College who studied the behaviour of dogs and has written several books about them decided to give dogs a chance at self-recognition on their own, smelly terms.

In a recent study, she concluded that they do recognize the smell of their own urine.

While some researchers find the study intriguing, the scientists who first developed that mirror mark  test doesn't think the evidence supports for conclusion. Still, even the idea of a smell mirror is mind  [nose] boggling.

''I had always flirted with the idea in my head that there should be an olfactory mirror.'' Dr. Harowitz said, acknowledging that  ''it could be horrifying for humans.''