Overview

• A peer‑reviewed Current Biology study reports that Gifted Word Learner dogs generalized category words based on how toys are used rather than how they look.
• Owners taught functional labels for tugging and fetching ("pull" and "fetch") through everyday play with toys that differed in size, shape, and color.
• In a generalization phase, dogs played with brand‑new, visually dissimilar toys without hearing labels, then correctly selected requested items significantly above chance.
• Performance averaged about two‑thirds correct in tests such as 31 of 48 selections, far exceeding a low chance level of roughly 12.5 percent.
• The study recruited 11 gifted dogs, with seven completing the protocol (mostly border collies), and authors stress these are exceptional cases and urge larger, more diverse follow‑up research that may clarify links to toddlers’ early label extension.