In many households, it’s a forbidden four-letter word. It can’t be uttered aloud, only spelled, so those within earshot don’t get too worked up. “Can you take the dog for a W-A-L-K?” Many dog owners ...

In many households, it’s a forbidden four-letter word. It can’t be uttered aloud, only spelled, so those within earshot don’t get too worked up. “Can you take the dog for a W-A-L-K?” Many dog owners ...

Some dogs understand more than just “sit” and “stay”–they learn new words simply by listening. A study shows: So-called “Gifted Word Learner” dogs can learn new toy names through casual conversations ...

Most dog owners are aware that their pooch is smart enough to know a few choice phrases—“walkies,” for instance, or, perhaps more likely, “time for dinner.” Some particularly intelligent canines can ...

NATURE BRIEFING 19 January 2026 Daily briefing: Gifted dogs have word-learning skills on a par with human toddlers Some dogs can learn words for hundreds of objects just by listening in to human ...

Dogs tend to be better at learning words for actions — think “fetch” or “roll over” — than at retaining the names of objects. So Dror sought out what she called “gifted” dogs that had previously ...