Overview
- Researchers tested 10 Gifted Word Learner dogs in two setups—direct teaching and overheard conversations—and seven learned two new toy names in both.
- Early trials showed about 80% accuracy when dogs were addressed versus 100% when they learned by overhearing speech.
- In a follow-up discontinuity test, most dogs learned labels even when toys were named only after being placed out of sight.
- Each new name was heard for roughly eight minutes across brief sessions, yet many dogs still formed correct word–object associations.
- The dogs’ performance mirrored learning patterns seen in 18- to 23-month-old toddlers, but typical family dogs did not show the effect, and only a few dozen gifted dogs have been identified as researchers continue recruitment.