Dogs May Learn New Toy Names Just by Listening In (Full Transcript)

Name: Dogs May Learn New Toy Names Just by Listening In
Uploaded: 2026-01-09T07:03:20+00:00
Channel: GoTranscript
Description: Research suggests some “gifted word learner” dogs can pick up object names by overhearing humans, even when toys aren’t visible.

Research suggests some “gifted word learner” dogs can pick up object names by overhearing humans, even when toys aren’t visible.

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[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Dogs can learn new words just by listening to humans having a conversation. Watch this.

[00:00:06] Speaker 2: This is your armadillo.

[00:00:07] Speaker 1: And here's Baskett listening. Then, Baskett's owner tested it.

[00:00:11] Speaker 2: No armadillo. Yes, good girl.

[00:00:21] Speaker 1: Until now, scientists didn't know whether dogs could learn object names when they weren't being spoken to directly. Next, they took it even further. This time, the dogs heard the name of the toys when the toys weren't even in sight. That's your card. Yes. Yes.

[00:00:43] Speaker 2: Good dog.

[00:00:43] Speaker 1: Scientists are saying the dog's ability to learn is similar to that of an 18-month-old toddler. But this is rare. Only a small group of dogs known as gifted word learners can do it. Could yours be one of them?

Summary

A segment describes research showing some dogs can learn new object names just by overhearing humans, even when not directly addressed and sometimes when the objects are out of sight. In demonstrations, a dog named Baskett responds correctly to a newly introduced toy name. Scientists compare this rare ability—seen in a small subset of “gifted word learners”—to the word-learning capacity of an 18-month-old toddler.

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Title

Some Dogs Can Learn Words by Overhearing Humans

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Keywords

dogs

word learning Remove

overhearing Remove

object names Remove

Baskett

gifted word learners Remove

cognitive science Remove

toddlers

language acquisition Remove

animal cognition Remove

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Sentiments

Neutral: The tone is informational and research-focused, presenting demonstrations and scientific claims without strong positive or negative emotional language.

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Quizzes

Question 1:
What new ability do scientists demonstrate in a small subset of dogs?
They can read written words
They can learn toy names by overhearing conversations
They can speak human words
They can navigate mazes better than cats
Correct Answer:
They can learn toy names by overhearing conversations

Question 2:
In the second test described, what changed about the learning situation?
The dog was directly commanded repeatedly
The toys were not in sight when the names were spoken
The dog was taught using written labels
The dog had to learn names in a foreign language
Correct Answer:
The toys were not in sight when the names were spoken

Question 3:
Which group name is given to dogs that can do this reliably?
Alpha retrievers
Gifted word learners
Pack linguists
Canine scholars
Correct Answer:
Gifted word learners

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