Study Reveals Play’s Role in Dogs’ Ability to Learn Words

Research published on February 3, 2026, in the journal Animal Cognition sheds light on how play and social interaction may enhance some dogs’ abilities to learn words. A team from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, focused on a unique group of dogs known as gifted word learners (GWL), who can quickly grasp the names of their toys, a skill not commonly found in most canines.

The study involved 31 Border Collies, divided into two groups: 10 gifted dogs and 21 typical dogs. Over a two-week period, each dog was given four toys, two of which were labeled with names that their owners frequently used during play. The other two toys remained unlabeled, and owners did not mention their names at all. After the play sessions, the dogs participated in tests designed to evaluate their understanding of the toys.

The first test placed the dogs in a room with the four familiar toys along with two new ones. Owners remained passive while researchers observed the dogs’ choices and attempts to engage their owners. In the second test, the dogs were asked to fetch the toys by name. Results indicated that only the GWL dogs had successfully learned the new words during the play sessions.

While both groups of dogs showed no difference in their exploration or preference for the toys, the GWL dogs stood out in their interaction with their owners. They were significantly more likely to present toys to initiate play, suggesting that their ability to learn words may be linked to a greater desire for social engagement.

The research team posits that this behavior indicates a social component to learning, akin to how young children associate words with objects through shared experiences. The study highlights the importance of social motivation and communicative intent, suggesting that these factors may play a crucial role in vocabulary acquisition among non-human species.

“This study lays the groundwork for future research to delve deeper into the connections between social interaction and language learning in both dogs and other animals,” the researchers stated.

While the findings do not provide a comprehensive explanation of how dogs learn words, they offer a new perspective on the interplay between play, social connection, and vocabulary acquisition. This research could also enhance our understanding of the evolution of language-related skills in various species.