I just though of this and was curious to weather anyone has any information on something like this, would it be possible to test your dog with a mirror to see if he would be aggressive with other dogs, and if he is there wont be any issue of an actual attack.

I don't know what to say other than I don't think it will work.

 Quote: debbie high

I don't know what to say other than I don't think it will work.

Having seen reactions to mirrors (and TVs) over the years that are all over the map, from not perceiving the reflection as a dog at all to moving close and touching the glass to going behind it (this is a full-length mirror on a door) to see what's back there to barking tentatively to little warning barks (that I have not seen become protracted, so far), I agree with you.

I have picked up young or small dogs and stood with the dog in front of the full-length mirror, and that too provokes reactions that are wildly varied. I've even seen what I interpreted (as a totally uninformed layman) as recognition of me in the mirror, triggering a lot of interest (including staring at the mirror, then at my real face, then back to the mirror).

e.t.a.
Have you read about the mirror experiment in (I think) the early 70s? Maybe I can find it online. A bunch of animals "passed" the mirror test (of self-awareness), such as, of course, apes and chimps. There was some small (I think inconclusive) indication that some dogs might actually perceive the reflection as being of themselves. I think this was controversial because there was some kind of color coding (a spot of dye on the animal) that aided the researcher's conclusions -- the animal touching/looking at his own body where the spot was on the reflection, maybe? -- that seemed to be shaky, with dogs' kind of limited color acuity. And in fact the whole test has been criticized as being flawed. Interesting, though!

Here's some of what I found about the mirror test with a quick Google:

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2517621

http://www.intropsych.com/ch08_animals/mirror_test.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/020968.html

thanks for the information but i wonder if it would be different for a puppy, a year or younger, because their mind and body haven't fully developed, varying from different breeds(im not to familiar with the anatomy of dogs).
Ill be buying a GSD puppy within the next month or two, if anyones interested ill test anyones questions or theories and record what i find.

My dogs recognize me in a mirror. I have a mirrored shower door in the bathroom and when I am getting ready in the morning the dogs will come in the bathroom and make and hold eye contact with me in the mirror. They will even interact with my reflection as though they know I can see them ("reflection, are you going to feed us yet?"). They will also poke me from behind with their noses, then look into the mirror to see my eyes to make sure I am looking.

THey have never reacted to their own reflections indicating they thought there was another dog in the bathroom, even as tiny puppies (< 8 weeks). They always ignored the reflections. It's strange, as if they always knew what a mirror was and that the images are just reflections.

My GSD's initial reactions to her reflection were suspicion followed by sniffing and then play bowing.

After a few times of this, she just ignored the reflection. She must think a very dull dog who never plays lives inside the glass door.

ill make sure that i keep the mirror positioned so that they can only see themselves and not me, maybe that will make a difference and they wont figure it out for a while, but hopefully they didnt have mirrors at the breeder .

Uuuh okay Garen.

What are you going do that for?

Testing for self awareness?

Randy