DOGS CAN LEARN WORDS LIKE TODDLERS, STUDY FINDS

In many homes, “walk” is a forbidden word — often spelled out to avoid an overly excited pup. Most dog owners know their pets can learn commands like “sit,” “stay,” and their own names. Now, researchers say some dogs may be even smarter than we thought.

A study published in Science found that certain dogs can learn new words simply by overhearing conversations — without being directly spoken to — a skill humans typically develop around 18 months of age. Researchers studied 10 highly trainable dogs, including border collies, German shepherds, and Labrador retrievers, known for their ability to learn words, especially the names of toys.

The findings highlight just how remarkable canine learning abilities can be — and why your dog might know exactly what “W-A-L-K” means.

Basket, a 7-year-old border collie from New York, was one of the standout dogs in the study. One of her owners, Elle Baumgartel-Austin, noticed Basket’s talent early on.

“She started knowing the names of her toys without any help when she was about eight months old,” she said.

During the experiment, owners talked about two brand-new toys in front of their dogs — without directly addressing them. Basket watched closely, tracking the toys with her eyes as the humans played. “She got a little frustrated,” Baumgartel-Austin said. “It wasn’t very fun for her to watch people play with a toy she wanted.”

A day or more later, the toys were hidden among other plushies in another room, and the dogs were asked to fetch one of the new toys by name. Seven of the 10 dogs, including Basket, consistently chose the correct toy — a statistically significant result despite the small sample size.

The findings suggest dogs may have a previously unknown ability to learn words by listening in, offering new insight into canine intelligence and even the evolution of human language.

Eavesdropping on adult conversations is one way toddlers learn to speak, and the fact that some dogs can do something similar suggests the ability to follow social cues may have existed long before language itself.

“This is something that came before language,” said lead researcher Shany Dror. “Dogs don’t have language, and yet they have these abilities.”

Gabriella Lakatos of the University of Hertfordshire said the findings add to a growing body of evidence showing dogs share cognitive traits with young children. Similar eavesdropping skills have been observed in other animals, including bonobos. Researchers have also known for years that some dogs can recognize hundreds of objects by name and even figure out the names of new toys by process of elimination.

Still, experts caution against overstating the results. Juliane Kaminski of the University of Portsmouth noted that while dogs can learn labels without being directly taught, this doesn’t mean they understand language the same way humans do. “Calling it ‘word learning’ in the linguistic sense may be too strong,” she said.

Why only a small number of dogs show this ability remains a mystery. Kaminski’s research suggests these dogs tend to be more curious and focused, but it’s unclear whether that talent is innate or developed through experience — a classic chicken-and-egg question that needs further study.

Dror knows that challenge firsthand. After years of trying unsuccessfully to teach her own German shepherd, Mitos, to associate words with toys, she included him in the study in a more personal way. Mitos passed away last year at 15, just as the research was being submitted, and the paper was dedicated to him.

Now, Dror has a new puppy — a schipperke named Flea — and is once again introducing toys, hopeful to see what she might learn.