Dogs 'failed' a self-awareness test... until we tried the right kind of test

Awareness, especially self-awareness, is very difficult to study. Self-awareness evolved among our animal ancestors and is found in their descendants today. Its presence can be detected using the ‘mirror test’ — but a 'urine test' worked better for dogs

Thu, 08 Jan, 2026 - 12:05

Richard Collins

"The real is the rational" declared the great German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.

The universe, according to him, is a world-spirit working its way through history towards knowledge of itself. With his philosophy, he believed, it had reached a pivotal moment; the world had become self-aware and had begun to understand its own nature.

The great idealist didn’t lack self-esteem.

Hegel still has followers today, but they are thin on the ground. The development of self-consciousness, however, was indeed a pivotal moment in history. With it, for better or worse, humanity was born. But how did such an extraordinary faculty evolve?

Awareness, especially self-awareness, is very difficult to study. Consciousness resembles a searchlight; it lights up everything it encounters but it cannot illuminate itself. There is a dichotomy between being and consciousness.

In a paper published in November, philosophers Albert Newen and Carlos Montemayor claim that "the evolution of consciousness is a neglected topic". Evolution has played ‘a surprisingly insignificant role in all major theories’ of consciousness.

They recognise three ‘core phenomena’ in self-awareness; ‘basic arousal’, ‘general alertness’ and ‘reflective self-consciousness’.

Basic arousal’ warns the body of danger, helping to secure its survival in the trials and tribulations of life.
‘General alertness’ fosters advanced learning and decision-making, enabling new behavioural strategies to be devised to deal with life’s challenges.
‘Reflective self-consciousness’ facilitates long-term planning, the awareness of self and of others. It is the creator of ‘mind’.

Self-awareness evolved among our animal ancestors and is found in their descendants today. Its presence can be detected using the ‘mirror test’. With a Tippex-type mark placed on its forehead, an animal is shown its image in a mirror. If the creature recognises that the image is its own, it may respond by searching for the mark on its forehead. Doing so, it demonstrates self-awareness. Chimps, orangutans, and gorillas pass the test. So do crows, dolphins, and elephants. Orcas and cleaner wrasse seem to respond... but the jury is still out on them. Children don’t pass the test until they are 18 months to two years old.

Failing to pass the ‘mirror test’, it was thought, meant the absence of self-awareness, but a modified version of the test seems to show that this conclusion is wrong.

Dogs might seem to be ideal candidates for membership of the consciousness club but, surprisingly, they fail the entry test.

In 2017, the ‘olfactory mirror test’ was devised. Canisters containing smelly substances were presented to dogs. One canister contained urine from the dog being tested, but with additional scents added to it. This served as the ‘mirror’. The dog would be drawn to investigate the specimen, apparently recognising its ‘self’ by the smell. This suggests that dogs have a form of self-awareness which differs from ours.

Pets, livestock, and birds seem to exhibit emotional states, suggesting that they are self-aware at some level. Is there a sliding-scale of ‘reflective self-consciousness’ in all creatures from bacteria to humans?

"Truth is found neither in the thesis or the antithesis, but in the synthesis" declared Hegel.