Ball, rubber chicken, snuffle mat... While we know that some dogs can learn their favourite toy by name, new research has revealed that some dogs can categorise toys by how they are used in play, too.
These dogs can even recognise a new toy, knowing what it does, without any verbal or physical cues.
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A new study in Current Biology science journal has revealed that some gifted word learner (GWL) dogs – a group of dogs, often border collies, with an extraordinary ability to quickly learn and remember the names of many different objects – can group toys by function, not just appearance. Instead of thinking 'ball' or 'rope', they can identify that it's 'something to fetch' or 'something to tug'.
The dogs were able to do this even when the toys used in the trial didn't share any obvious physical similarities.
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Researchers tested 11 of these word-savvy pups in their own homes. First, owners played fetch (“throw”) or tug-of-war (“pull”) with different toys, giving verbal labels to the activity.
Later, they introduced brand-new toys but didn't use verbal cues as to what game was being played. Finally, owners asked their dogs to “bring me a pull” or “bring me a throw” from a pile that included both old and new toys.
The dogs, on average, picked the correct new toy about two-thirds of the time. Their mistakes mostly happened when they grabbed an old toy they already knew by name. Researchers say it's proof that they weren’t just guessing, but actively categorising.
In the past, studies of this kind have used dogs that have undergone extensive training. This research shows dogs that can learn these concepts naturally, at home, just by playing. The skill has been compared with a human toddler’s ability to sort objects by function.
"We have shown that dogs learn object labels really fast, and they remember them for a long period, even without rehearsing. And I think the way they extend labels also beyond perceptual similarities gives an idea of the breadth of what these labels could be for dogs," says author Claudia Fugazza of Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary.
Not every dog may be this talented, but the research suggests some have surprisingly human-like cognitive abilities.
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Main image: Getty Images
