For instance, the group’s 2022 study discovered that dogs store key sensory features about their toys—notably what they look like and how they smell—and recall those features when searching for the named toy.

Both toddlers and Gifted Word Learner dogs can learn new words by listening to people, providing new insight into the social and cognitive cues involved in learning language.

K?" Both parents and dog owners know that some words should not be spoken, but only spelled, to prevent small ears from eavesdropping on the conversation. At the age of 1.5 years, toddlers can already learn new words by overhearing other people.

The study’s findings add to evidence that the cognitive and social abilities that underpin language learning are not limited to humans — and highlight just how adept dogs are at reading human signals.

Discover how Basket the 7-year-old border collie from Manhattan amazes researchers with her advanced word-learning abilities, comparable to 18-month-old children.