Can a dog always find its way home?

The unique ability of dogs to navigate the terrain and find their way home is so impressive to people that many films have been shot on this topic and a huge number of books have been written. But can a dog always find its way home?

Photo: maxpixel.net

Can a dog find its way home – what do scientists say?

Alas, there are practically no scientific studies on the ability of dogs to navigate the terrain and find their way home.

However, the German doctor Edinger at the dawn of the 20th century (in 1915) conducted a similar experiment with his German Shepherd. He left the dog in various parts of Berlin and assessed its ability to return home. At first, the dog was completely disoriented and could not return to his home without outside help. However, the more experiments were carried out, the better results the shepherd dog showed. (Edinger L, 1915. Zur Methodik in der Tierpsychologie. Zeitschrift fur Physiologie, 70, 101-124) That is, it was more a matter of experience than of innate phenomenal abilities.

Despite some amazing and unbelievable cases of dogs returning, sometimes over huge distances, in many cases, unfortunately, the dogs do not manage to return home, even if they got lost while walking with the owner. If they had such a developed ability, there would not be a huge number of “losses”.

And yet, individual cases proving the ability of dogs to navigate the terrain are impressive. And if some dogs manage to find their way home – how do they do it?

How do dogs find their way home?

On this occasion, various hypotheses can be put forward, more or less plausible.

For example, there is almost no doubt that if the dog is fully walked and different routes are chosen for walking, the size of the territory in which the dog navigates becomes quite large. And the dog, having visited some place several times, perfectly remembers how to return home in the shortest way.

Photo: pixabay.com

The dog, like its ancestor the wolf, creates a so-called mental “map of the area” using all the senses, but mainly sight and smell are involved.

As for the cases of dogs overcoming great distances in unfamiliar terrain and returning home, there is still no explanation here.

If a dog goes on a trip on his own, it is likely that he will return – but only if, for example, he was not overly excited, chasing prey. If, for example, the dog was frightened of fireworks on New Year’s Eve, escaped and ran away without understanding the road, the chances of an independent return, alas, are small.

In any case, do not rely too much on the dog’s ability to find its way home if you leave or lose it in an unfamiliar place. It is better not to lose contact with the pet, and if you are not sure that he will come running to you at the first call, do not let him off the leash.