Fetch Me a Genius!
If you've spent even a little time on the internet, you've likely seen videos of clever pups pressing buttons to "talk" with their humans. From a dog stepping on the "out" button to request a potty break or another asking for "treats," it's both adorable and impressive. There's Bunny, the internet-famous dog who seems to string words together into sentences, or Chaser, a Border Collie who knew the names of 1,022 toys. These genius dogs leave us wondering just how far canine intelligence can go.
Many of us already know that our dogs are brilliant communicators, but skeptics might chalk up these button-pressing feats to luck or owner prompting. A study published in Scientific Reports found that dogs using speech buttons often create multi-word combinations beyond mere chance.
In a recent study analyzing nearly 200,000 interactions from 152 button-pushing pups, researchers found that around 30% of the button presses were multi-word combinations, most of which were clearly intentional. Even more fascinating, dogs' most commonly pressed buttons differed from those their humans favored, proving that our pups aren't just copying us. For example, dogs often combined words like "outside" and "potty" to indicate they needed a bathroom break or "play" and "ball" to request a play session with their favorite toy.
So, how much do dogs actually understand? While it's still unclear how far their language abilities go, some dogs exhibit extraordinary talent for learning words. Known as "Gifted Word Learners" (GWL), these dogs can identify individual toys by name—lion, ball, hedgehog, and so forth. In a 2023 study, over half of the GWL dogs tested knew the names of at least 20 toys, and some knew far more!
 Take Chaser, for example. Not only did she know the names of her toys, but she could categorize them and follow commands like a pro. She often outperformed her handlers, demonstrating an understanding of sounds, nouns, and verbs that amazed researchers.
Curious about what makes a genius dog? Studies show that Border Collies make up 52% of the genius dog population, but other breeds like Labs, Pomeranians, Corgis, and Australian Shepherds also made the list. Many of these gifted pups live in multi-person households and regularly engage in activities like obedience training, herding, or dog shows. However, a love of play and engagement seems to matter most—75% of pet parents reported that they didn't deliberately teach their dogs to learn words; their pups picked it up during playtime! In fact, 80% of owners said daily play was a key factor in their dog's learning. And here's some good news: even first-time dog parents can raise clever canines, as 26% of these pet parents were beginners.
So, can you raise a genius dog? Maybe. Like humans, true canine geniuses are rare. Spend plenty of time playing with your pup, introduce them to new experiences, and name their toys to encourage word association. While not every dog will become the next Bunny or Chaser, they all have the potential to learn, and you'll both have fun.
See Bunny here.
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