“Can you take the dog for a W-A-L-K?” Many dog owners know their pets excel at learning words such as “walk,” “sit,” “stay” and even their own names. Dogs tend to be better at learning words for actions — think “fetch” or “roll over” — than at retaining the names of objects. So Dror sought out what she called “gifted” dogs that had previously demonstrated an ability to learn the names of their toys. The researchers instructed the dog owners to discuss two toys that their dogs had never seen before. “This is something that came before language,” Dror said.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 08, 2026 23:31 UTC