In a study led by the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria, scientists set out to learn more about the intellectual abilities of dogs. They were particularly interested in those dogs who can quickly grasp new information.
While most dogs can learn commands or recognise keywords like 'walkies' or 'treat', some show an exceptional ability to associate words with specific objects, such as toys named by their owners.
Putting their skills to the test
To better understand these abilities, the team, led by ethologist Andrea Sommese, compared 10 'gifted' dogs with 21 'typical' dogs, all of whom were Border Collies.
Over a two-week period, each dog was introduced to four toys at home. Two of the toys were frequently named by their owner, while the other two were simply handled but never named.
The dogs were then allowed to interact freely with these toys, as well as some new ones, during a free-exploration task, while their owners were asked to stay back.
Surprising results
Surprisingly, all the dogs, whether 'gifted' or not, showed a strong preference for the new toys. There was no significant difference in the time they spent with the named versus the unnamed toys.
The experiment showed that the 'gifted' dogs aren't necessarily more curious about objects. Instead, their 'gift' seems to stem from their interaction with their owners.
When one of these dogs picked up a toy, they tended to bring it back to their owner to encourage a moment of interaction.
In contrast, the 'typical' dogs stayed close to their owner, sometimes right by their side, but without actively trying to engage them with the toy.
According to the researchers, this difference doesn't simply reflect greater curiosity or cognitive intelligence. Instead, it points to a heightened social motivation to involve their human in the activity.
