Pooches, puppers, and doggos all refer to the same animal. Now, scientists have discovered that dogs themselves can make similar linguistic connections. A groundbreaking study from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary suggests that dogs are capable of “label extension”—a process central to human language development. This is the same principle young children use. They learn that a ladle is just a big spoon. They also understand that “cup” can describe mugs, glasses, and flagons.
Until now, such language-related skills were thought rare in the animal kingdom. These skills are typically only seen in non-human species after extensive training.
How dogs naturally pick up words
Dogs, however, seem to acquire these skills far more naturally. Unlike apes or dolphins in captivity, dogs have evolved alongside humans for tens of thousands of years. They have been constantly exposed to human speech, tone, and interaction.
“Dogs understand the meaning behind those labels well enough to apply them to new, very different-looking toys. They do this by recognizing what the toys were for,” explains Claudia Fugazza, ethology researcher at Eötvös Loránd University and the study’s lead author.
Gifted Word Learner dogs put to the test
The researchers focused on eight so-called Gifted Word Learner (GWL)dogs. Six were border collies, a breed well-known for its intelligence, and one was a blue heeler. Border collies already have a reputation as canine word wizards—most famously represented by Chaser, dubbed “the world’s smartest dog,” with a vocabulary of more than 1,000 words.
The study was conducted not in laboratories but in the dogs’ own homes. This natural setting allowed the dogs to engage with toys and commands as they would in everyday play sessions with their owners.
The experiment: “Pull” and “Fetch”
The dogs were introduced to two groups of toys. One group was linked to the command “Pull” for tug-of-war play, while the other was linked to “Fetch” for retrieving after being thrown. Owners trained their pets with these commands through normal play sessions.
Later, the dogs were presented with brand-new toys they had never seen before. These toys still fit the same categories (for tugging or fetching) but looked completely different. Importantly, the owners did not label the new toys during play.
When asked to choose a toy, the dogs selected the correct category—either pull or fetch—at rates far higher than chance. This demonstrated that they were extending the labels to new objects based on function, not just appearance.
A breakthrough in animal language research
This is the first evidence that dogs—and possibly animals in general—can naturally mirror aspects of human language development. The findings expand what we know about how deeply dogs understand us.
“This opens exciting new avenues for studying how language-related skills may evolve and function beyond our own species,” says Ádám Miklósi, ethologist at Eötvös Loránd University and coauthor of the study.
Why it matters
Hearing commands like “sit,” “stay,” or “fetch” has long shown that dogs understand basic human words. But this research reveals a more sophisticated ability: grouping words and applying them to new situations.
For linguists and animal behaviorists, this provides an important parallel to early childhood language acquisition. For dog lovers, it underscores just how intuitive our companions really are.
Man’s best friend—and teacher
As loyal companions for thousands of years, dogs have heard human voices in countless contexts—commands, conversations, songs, rants, and laments. Their ability to make sense of these patterns provides not only practical insights for training and communication but also scientific clues into how human language itself may have evolved.
By bridging the gap between words and function, our four-legged friends remind us that language learning is not solely human—and that man’s best friend may also be man’s best linguistic ally.