These Dogs Can Learn New Words Just by Eavesdropping

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Turns out that some genius dogs can learn a brand new word, like the name of an unfamiliar toy, by just overhearing brief interactions between two people.

Posted by LampLighter at 01:33 PM | 5 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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A new study reveals that some smart dogs can learn words just by overhearing humans' conversations

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-- Scientific American (@sciam.bsky.social) Jan 9, 2026 at 10:28 AM

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More from the article ...

... What's more, these "gifted" dogs can learn the name of a new toy even if they first hear this word when the toy is out of sight -- as long as their favorite human is looking at the spot where the toy is hidden. That's according to a new study in the journal Science.

"What we found in this study is that the dogs are using social communication. They're using these social cues to understand what the owners are talking about," says cognitive scientist Shany Dror of Etvs Lornd University and the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna. ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-08 09:28 PM | Reply

I had relatives who owned a poodle, and they would say "China" and the dog would dig like crazy. Also, "C-A-T" and the dog would bark like a crack addict

#2 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-01-08 09:37 PM | Reply | Funny: 2

had relatives who owned a poodle, and they would say "China" and the dog would dig like crazy. Also, "C-A-T" and the dog would bark like a crack addict

#2 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-01-08 09:37 PM | Reply | Flag: That figures.

#3 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-01-09 02:48 AM | Reply

I miss having dogs.

Protective, attentive, vocal.

My cat plays fetch.

#4 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2026-01-10 08:38 AM | Reply

I had a tailless manx cat that played fetch with me and "kneaded" my tummy when I asked her to.

For another game, she would run up the wall chasing the green dot from my Pentagon laser pointer.

My little girl purred like an engine, slept with me all the time, but didn't enjoy being picked up.

She was also a disciplined eater and the most athletic unlike my other lovable cats.

#5 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-01-10 08:53 AM | Reply