Genius Dogs Can Learn Words Like Toddlers

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Yesou’ve probably seen videos on social media of dogs excitedly picking out a toy that their owner had requested by name from an impossibly large pile of similar toys. Called “gifted word learners” (GWL) dogs, these impressive pups have vocabularies that include hundreds of words. Now, new research published in Science suggests that some of these awesome dogs can learn words as well as a human aged 18 to 23 months.

To test the upper limits of word learning in this select canine group, the scientists designed a series of experiments to determine whether GWL dogs could learn a new word for a toy solely by hearing others talk about it. The most suitable third parties for this task were of course the owners of the dogs. The scientists sent detailed instructions, asking them to call a new toy by name in the presence of the dog (without directly addressing him), checking compliance with the videos of the sessions.

After rest periods, the dogs were then asked to retrieve the new toy from a group of toys in a separate room, and the scientists recorded whether they were successful or not. Incredibly, the GWL dogs were able to understand the name of the toy simply by hearing their owners talk about it, demonstrating a verbal ability similar to that of a human toddler.

Something to keep in mind the next time you’re discussing getting rid of your favorite toy that’s gotten a little too bad to wear.

Read more: »Why do some people relieve themselves?k Do you like their dogs?»

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Main photo: Miso, a 6-year-old male border collie from Canada, knows the names of about 200 toys. Credit: Veronica Suen.

• Jake Currie

  Published on January 8, 2026

  Jake Currie is a writer based in Brooklyn, New York.