How Good Is a Puppy’s Memory?

A puppy’s memory is not very strong. It has short-term memory lasting only minutes and long-term memory lasting days, months or even years; ordinary training is short-term, so the dog quickly forgets and needs repetition to build conditioned, long-term memory.

However, painful or frightening experiences form long-term memory easily. In general, dogs retain short-term memory of scenes but store emotional content as long-term memory.