Dogs that Speak Our Language: Gifted Word Learners Extend Labels to New Toys by Function
Is this a dog that truly speaks our language? New findings suggest yes. Gifted Word Learner (GWL) dogs can extend learned labels to new, visually different toys based on function rather than appearance. They demonstrate language-like reasoning that mirrors early human development. Even Chaser, the border collie famous for a vocabulary of more than 1,000 words, fits this story.
In This Article:
Label Extension: A Core Principle of How Children Learn Language
Label extension is a cornerstone of language development in children. Toddlers learn new words and begin grouping objects by their use: a ladle is a big spoon because both scoop; a 'cup' can refer to a mug, a glass, or a flagon. The study asks whether dogs can show a similar capacity to generalize labels beyond the exact objects they were taught, by understanding their function rather than their appearance.
The Study: Home Settings, Eight Dogs, and Unexpected Results
Eight Gifted Word Learner dogs were tested in their owners\' homes, with no special setup. The group included six border collies and one blue heeler. In play sessions, the dogs learned two labels—\"Pull\" and \"Fetch\"—that referred to groups of toys used for tugging or retrieving. Then researchers introduced new, unlabeled toys that looked completely different from the originals. The owners did not use verbal labels while the dogs played with these new items. Finally, the dogs were asked to choose the new toys based on function (pull or fetch). Across the tests, the dogs chose the correct toys significantly more often than chance, suggesting they learned the functions behind the labels even when appearances differed and verbal labeling was absent during play.
Meaning Behind the Labels: Dogs Generalize by Function
These dogs extended the labels they had learned for certain toys to new objects by recognizing what the toys were for. “They understand the meaning behind those labels well enough to apply them to new, very different-looking toys—by recognizing what the toys were for,” said Claudia Fugazza, ethology researcher at Eötvös Loránd University and the study\'s lead author. This study is the first to show that dogs, and animals in general, can naturally mirror human language development. “As a result, it opens exciting new avenues for studying how language-related skills may evolve and function beyond our own species,” added Adam Miklósi, coauthor and ethologist at Eötvös Loránd University.
Why This Matters: Language Evolution and Our Bond with Dogs
Published in Current Biology, this research suggests dogs have listened to human language for millennia and may reflect language-development processes seen in humans. It opens new avenues for studying how language-related skills evolve across species, deepening our understanding of the human-dog relationship while highlighting the natural linguistic abilities of our closest animal companions.
