Rare gifted word-learner dogs like to share their toys
Summary
A study from ELU researchers suggests gifted word-learner dogs can acquire labels for objects by overhearing owners talk about them. While both GWL and non-GWL dogs preferred novel toys, GWL dogs were more likely to fetch toys and present them to their owners, implying social motivation influences word learning. The findings point to the importance of the dog-owner relationship in language-like development rather than toy cues alone.