Glossary

Social learning

Learning a behavior by watching another dog or a person do it, which dogs can do in some situations.

Also called: learning by watching, observational learning, imitation in dogs, copying behavior

Social learning means picking up information by watching others. Dogs learn from other dogs and from people. A puppy may copy its mother's reaction to a stranger, or an adult dog may work out how to open a door after watching a companion.

Experiments show dogs can learn to take a detour to reach a reward by watching a person or another dog do it. In "Do as I do" studies, dogs have copied human actions after being trained to imitate on command, which suggests they can imitate, not only repeat.

Social learning has limits. Dogs also learn from their own trial and error and from rewards, so watching another dog does not replace training. Owners should not count on a puppy picking up every habit from an older dog.

Last reviewed November 8, 2026

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Related terms

Theory of mind The ability to understand that others have their own knowledge, wishes and beliefs, which research suggests dogs may show only in limited ways. Pointing comprehension A dog's ability to follow a human finger point to find hidden food, a skill researchers study to learn how dogs read people. Shaping Building a new behavior in small steps by rewarding each step that gets closer to the final goal. Play Voluntary, energetic and usually social activity that dogs do for fun, including chasing, wrestling, tugging and bowing.