For dog owners who jokingly refer to their pets as “their kids,” science may be offering some validation. A new study published in the academic journal Science suggests that certain dogs can understand and learn words in ways similar to an 18-month-old child.
The research focused on a rare group of dogs known as “Gifted Word Learners.” These dogs are able to recognize and remember the names of specific objects, such as toys, by listening to their owners talk about them—much like a young toddler picking up language through everyday conversation.
Researchers found that these dogs can learn new object names simply by overhearing human interactions, even when the object is hidden from view. As long as the owner looks toward the object while speaking, the dog is often able to correctly identify it later.
“We demonstrated that a small group of Gifted Word Learner dogs can learn new object labels just by overhearing their owners’ conversations,” the study’s authors explained.
More Than Basic Commands
Most dogs can learn action-based commands like “sit,” “stay,” or “fetch.” However, the study shows that only a small number of dogs can consistently learn object-based words, such as “ball,” “rope,” or “toy.”
According to lead author Shany Dror, a cognitive scientist at Eötvös Loránd University and the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, these dogs are doing far more than responding to familiar commands.
“One dog in the study, a seven-year-old border collie named Basket, knew the names of more than 200 toys,” Dror noted.
In previous studies, some Gifted Word Learner dogs were able to learn the name of a new object after hearing it just a few times and could remember dozens of objects for years. Researchers also found that these dogs could group toys into categories, showing advanced learning abilities.
Dogs Are Always Listening
The study was inspired by real-life stories from dog owners who noticed their pets paying close attention during conversations.
In one case, a dog brought over a toy named “bag” after overhearing its owner mention the word during a phone call. These observations led researchers to ask how much dogs truly understand when humans talk around them.
The answer, at least for Gifted Word Learner dogs, is “a lot.”
That said, researchers emphasized that these dogs are extremely rare and that their abilities likely result from a combination of genetics, environment, and frequent interaction with humans.
“These dogs help us better understand the cognitive skills that may have contributed to the development of human language,” Dror said. “But this does not mean all dogs learn this way.”
Are Certain Breeds Smarter?
While Gifted Word Learners can come from many breeds, border collies were found to be overrepresented in language-based intelligence studies. Originally bred for herding, border collies are often considered one of the most intelligent dog breeds.
A famous example is Chaser, a border collie who learned the names of over 1,000 objects before her death in 2019—more than any other non-human animal ever studied.
Dog trainer and behaviorist Beverly Ulbrich believes many dogs could develop similar skills with enough interaction.
“Dogs learn by observing us and trying to understand how to communicate,” she said. “The more we talk to them, the more they learn.”
Ulbrich also noted that some dogs are better at learning nouns (objects), while others excel at verbs (actions). Retrieving breeds often understand object names more easily, while dogs trained in obedience or tricks tend to learn action words faster.
What This Means
The research suggests that dogs may understand more of our conversations than we realize—especially when words relate to things that matter to them.
While most dogs won’t reach toddler-level language skills, the study highlights just how intelligent and attentive they can be, reminding owners that meaningful interaction plays a major role in how animals learn.
