Researchers have discovered that some dogs can remember the names of toys even after they haven’t seen it for two years. The study found that dogs who learned object names stored them in their long-term memory, rather than simply having their memory refreshed by their owners through frequent play.
The researchers studied five dogs who had previously learned the names of 12 new toys. Two years later, the dogs’ owners brought out the toys and asked their dog to retrieve each one individually. The results showed that on average, the dogs picked the correct toy 44% of the time, with some having a success rate of up to 60%.
The study suggests that dogs who can learn object names often have owners who invest a lot of time in engaging with them. “The more you invest in your dog, the more you will get back from the relationship,” said Shany Dror, the first author of the study.
The findings could have implications for understanding the evolution of human language, given that memory is one of its many components. As Dror noted, “Why is language uniquely human? To understand that, we need to understand what parts of language are available in other animals and which parts are not.”
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/sep/04/dogs-remember-names-toys-years-study-pets-memory