US EditionSome dogs can expand their vocabulary by eavesdropping on their owners
A rare group of gifted dogs learned toy names by overhearing owners, achieving 100% accuracy in tests, matching word learning skills of 18- to 23-month-old toddlers, researchers said.
- The Associated Press Health and Science Department reported some U.S. dogs can learn and remember many toy names, with photos by Shany Dror illustrating examples like Mugsy in Massachusetts and Augie in Texas.
- Despite typical limits on object-name memory, dogs are generally less good at remembering names of toys like squeaky or stuffed ones, making cases like Mugsy and Augie notable.
- A 2022 photograph shows Mugsy in Massachusetts learning many toy names, and a 2023 image shows Augie, Labrador in Texas, both credited to photographer Shany Dror and Don Harvey.
- Reported examples expand public interest in dog cognition as The Associated Press Health and Science Department gives national visibility to Mugsy, Augie, and dog owners and trainers.
- The AP placement indicates the Associated Press Health and Science Department situates these examples within wider reporting on animal cognition, with photographer Shany Dror providing images of Mugsy, dog in Massachusetts.
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178 Articles
"Dogs Learn New Words 'Orienting' the Conversations of Their Owners": the Study Published in Science
The dogs eavesdropping. They listen to us. This will not surprise those who have a four-legged friend in the house... But now, according to the New York Post reports, researchers go further and let us know that dogs acquire new vocabulary just by eavesdropping the conversations of the human family. Let's go with order. Ten dogs with cognitive abilities outside the media have been observed, including a border collie named Basket and a Labrador na…
Some particularly gifted dogs are able to learn the names of new objects simply by eavesdropping the conversations of the owners, just like children (ANSA)
Thus some dogs show abilities similar to those of 18 months old infants. The mechanisms of listening and learning could be older than the language.
Dogs are smart. Especially talented quadrupeds can even learn the name of toys when listening to conversations. This ability is comparable to that of an 18-month-old toddler, according to the research team, which has carried out various tests.
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