Why does everyone say that dogs can't remember things? ?

Question

I read alot of answers where people say that punishing after the fact is pointless because the dog doesn't remember. However if a dog can remember 15 different commands for years, remember people, voices, scents, the sound of certain peoples vehicles, remember other dogs, etc etc That doesn;t jive. From what I have observed it's not that they don;t remember what they did, it;s that they don't associate a punishment in the PRESENT with an action in the PAST. As far as I can tell it's not that dogs don't remember, they just live in the present not that past and thus they don't associate punishment Z with action A unless one directly follows the other.. Action A followed by punishment B..

My dogs remember so much.. names, faces, places, smells sounds.. they remember just fine.

Answer 1

Ok so my golden retriever chews up something in the house EVERY day when I get home. I will grab the object/objects and show it to him and tell him "NO!" and probably stick him outside while I clean up and possibly leave him out there for a bit to show I mean business. Sadly he continues to destroy things. (I must add that he is not yet a yr old yet, but is an eager learner).
Does he even remeber what he has done earlier during the day? Cause if I walk into a room he has destroyed he will be hiding somewhere. And or when I'll walk through the door I know he has done something wrong because he has a guiltly look on his face and his tail goes between his legs and I have yet to even frown at him.