Researchers have found that certain gifted word learning (GWL) dogs can retain the names of their toys for a remarkably long time – at least two years.
The study, published in the journal Biology Lettersfocused on five border collies: Gaia, Max, Whiskey, Squall and Rico. These special dogs have previously demonstrated the ability to learn the names of hundreds of different objects, Sky News reports.
Dr. Claudia Fugazza, from Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary, coordinated the research. She explains: “We knew that dogs can remember events for 24 hours and smells for up to a year. Now, we have discovered that some gifted dogs can retain words for at least two years.”
4 out of 5 dogs remembered the names of the toys
In the experiment, the dogs initially learned the names of several toys. After two years, they were tested again. The results were impressive: four of the five dogs remembered the names of 60-75% of the toys.
Gaia had the best performance of all. On average, the dogs chose correctly 44% of the time.
Dr. Fugazza points out that these results cannot be generalized to all dogs, as the study only focused on GWL dogs, who have a special talent for learning object names.
The research is part of a larger project called the “Genius Dog Challenge.” The scientists are encouraging owners who think their pets know more than one toy name to contact them through the project’s website.
Source: www.descopera.ro
