Is your dog…a bit SNOOPY?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Gifted Word Learner DOGS learn objects’ names like no other! But, can they eavesdrop?
Enter Shany Dror [SHAH-nee Duh-OHR] and team at the Eötvös Loránd [URT-vosh LOR-ahnd] University in Hungary.
In their study, dogs were taught the names of two new toys. “Fido! This is a STICK! This is a BONE!” As expected, the dogs correctly identified the toys from a pile of objects!
But, could the dogs learn just from overhearing conversation? This time, two NEW toys were mentioned, WITHOUT addressing the dog. “Hi, Jane, could you pass me the BALL?”
And? The dogs learned the toy names, and even listened for them!
So, watch your mouth in front of the D-O-G!
Shany Dror et al., Dogs with a large vocabulary of object labels learn new labels by overhearing like 1.5-year-old infants. Science 391,160-163(2026). DOI:10.1126/science.adq5474