Study Reveals Some Dogs Can Learn Toy Names Simply By Listening

Dogs are great at following action commands like "sit" or "stay," but they usually struggle to remember the names of objects, such as their squeaky or stuffed toys. Only a small group of exceptional dogs can learn and retain the names of hundreds of toys. Scientists know of about 50 such "word-learner" dogs, but the reason for their talent is still unclear, reported NYPost.

New research has revealed that certain dogs can learn the names of new toys simply by listening. The study involved ten dogs, including Basket, a Border Collie, and Augie, a Labrador retriever. These dogs observed their owners holding a new toy and talking about it with another person. The dogs were then sent to a separate room and asked to retrieve the same toy from a selection of toys.

Seven of these ten dogs learned the names of their new toys, such as a stingray and an armadillo, simply by listening. Researcher Shany Dror said this is the first time scientists have observed that some dogs can learn new names by listening to conversations.

Learning Names Without Seeing

The dogs were also successful in learning the names of the toys when their owners placed them in an opaque box and talked about them with another person. This allowed the dogs to separate what was seen and what was heard. Only a few other animals, such as parrots and monkeys, have demonstrated this ability to listen.

This ability is also considered important for humans. Even children as young as two can learn new words by listening, including words their parents don't intentionally use. However, Dror pointed out that these dogs are adults, so their brain function may be different from that of humans.

Indications Of Animal Intelligence

Animal psychology expert Heidi Lin said this study shows that "animals' thinking abilities are probably greater than you think." She did not participate in the research, which was published in the Journal of Science.

Not every dog has this ability. So your pet probably won't be learning names while sitting at the dinner table. Dror said she will continue studying these special dogs to understand what cues they pick up. She said these are her most enthusiastic and sometimes messy research subjects. She added that sometimes dogs come to the lab, which is nice, but often someone pees on the couch. That also happens.