Whether it’s a Labrador, Pug or Chow Chow, most owners have proclaimed their dog a ‘clever boy’ or girl at some point.
But for a genuinely ‘gifted’ dog, there are two key signs to look for, according to a new study.
Researchers from Eotvos Lorand University say that the first sign is their ability to remember the names of hundreds of objects.
But for them to be considered truly ‘gifted’, they must also be able to remember some names for at least two years.
According to the researchers, Border Collies are most likely to have these ‘special’ talents.
Whether it’s a Labrador, Pug or Chow Chow, most owners have proclaimed their dog a ‘clever boy’ or girl at some point. But for a genuinely ‘gifted’ dog, there are two key signs to look for, according to a new study
Research has already shown that a small number of dogs known as gifted word learners (GWL) have a unique ability to memorise the names of hundreds of objects.
Now, experts have discovered a small group of Border Collies who can remember some of these names for at least two years.
And the hope is that the talented dogs could help scientists understand more about how animals other than humans retain their memories.
Dr Claudia Fugazza, the head of the research group at Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary, said: ‘We know that dogs can remember events for at least 24 hours and odours for up to one year but this is the first study showing that some talented dogs can remember words for at least two years.’
Research has already shown that a small number of dogs known as gifted word learners (GWL) have a unique ability to memorise the names of hundreds of objects
For the study, the team analysed the behaviour of five Border Collies – Gaia, Max, Whiskey, Squall and Rico.
These GWL dogs had learned and remembered the names of multiple toys and were tested again two years on.
The researchers said that ‘remarkably’ four out of five dogs remembered the names of between 60-75 per cent of the toys after two years, with Gaia performing the best.
As a group, the dogs’ performance averaged at 44 per cent correct choices, which is significantly above chance level, the team added.
Dr Shany Dror, lead researcher of the study, said: ‘We waited two years and then decided to test the dogs again, to see if they still remembered the toy names.
‘Because such a long time has passed some of the owners lost a few of the toys. Thus, three dogs were tested on 12 toys, one dog on 11 and one dog on five.
‘After two years, we all had a hard time remembering the names of toys. But not the dogs! They did not seem to struggle.’
The research is part of a project known as the Genius Dog Challenge and the scientists are urging owners who believe their dogs know multiple toy names to contact them via the project’s website.
Dr Fugazza added: ‘The findings of our current study cannot be generalised to other dogs because we only tested GWL dogs, individuals that show a special talent for acquiring object words.’
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