Dogs have a reputation for mastering commands like “sit” and “stay” with impressive speed, but remembering the names of specific objects often seems like a bigger challenge. Still, there is a small group of exceptionally talented dogs that can store hundreds of toy names in their memory. A new study suggests these gifted pups may have another surprising trick up their sleeves. They can learn fresh words simply by overhearing their humans talk.
Researchers already knew that certain dogs can be taught the names of toys through repeated play with their owners. In the latest study, published in the journal Science and reported by AP News, scientists explored whether dogs could connect a word to an object without being directly trained in the moment. The experiment involved 10 gifted dogs, including a border collie named Basket and a Labrador named Augie. Instead of the usual back and forth training, the dogs watched their owners hold up a brand new toy and chat about it with another person.
After the conversation, each dog was sent to another room and asked to retrieve that specific toy from a pile of other toys. The twist was that the dogs were not being actively coached while the owners talked. They were basically eavesdropping, then relying on what they had picked up to make the right choice. In other words, they had to do more than follow a familiar cue, they had to match a new word to the correct object.
The results were striking. Seven out of the 10 dogs successfully learned the names of new toys just from that passive listening. They even managed it when their owners put the toy into a box before talking about it, which meant the dogs could not rely on seeing the object at the same time as hearing its name. That detail suggests they were forming a mental link that went beyond simple visual association.
Study author Shany Dror, affiliated with Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary and a veterinary university in Austria, said this was the first time researchers had seen a specific group of dogs learn object labels by listening in on conversation. This kind of learning is rare in the animal world, with similar abilities noted in only a few species such as parrots and some primates. Heidi Lyn, an animal cognition expert at the University of South Alabama who was not involved in the research, said the findings are a reminder that there may be far more going on in animals’ minds than we tend to assume.
Of course, this does not mean every dog is quietly expanding their vocabulary while waiting under the dinner table. The researchers stressed that this seems to be a special skill, and Dror hopes to keep studying these standout dogs to understand what signals they are actually picking up.
Do you think your dog has ever learned a word just by listening to you talk, or do you believe this talent is limited to a rare few? Share your thoughts in the comments.
