A new study published in Science describes a rare group of dogs that can learn new words simply by overhearing human conversations.

No training sessions. No pointing. No enthusiastic repetition.

These dogs “pick up words simply by overhearing people speak to each other without needing to be taught,” a process strikingly similar to how toddlers acquire language, says AFP.

Researcher Shany Dror recalls how the phenomenon first sounded almost unbelievable. “They would tell me stories,” she said, “like we were talking about ordering a pizza, and then the dog came into the living room with the toy named pizza.”

It’s the kind of anecdote that sounds like exaggeration—until it keeps happening under controlled conditions.

It is the national rule to notch the ear of the dog once they are sterilised. Photo: Courtesy

Accidental lessons, intentional results

In laboratory tests, these so-called “gifted word learners” were able to retrieve specific toys whose names they had only heard in passing conversation. Unlike typical dogs, which usually need direct play or training to link a word to an object, these animals made the connection on their own, silently and efficiently.

For scientists, the implications stretch well beyond clever pets. The findings offer clues about the “complex machinery needed for social learning” in species that do not possess formal language.

“We found that it does exist,” Dror said, referring to complex social learning in animals without language. “This gives us a kind of hint to the fact that before humans developed language, they first had this very complex cognitive ability to learn from others.”

In other words, listening came before speaking—at least evolutionarily.

Genius dogs are not a lifestyle choice

Before anyone starts quizzing their Labrador on vocabulary, experts are quick to emphasize just how rare these dogs are. Over seven years, researchers identified only about 45 worldwide.

Canine behaviourist Clive Wynne cautioned that these animals are “deeply exceptional” and warned that owners “should not expect genius qualities from their family pets.” This is not a hidden setting waiting to be unlocked; it’s an outlier phenomenon.

Still, rarity doesn’t stop scientists from wondering why these dogs are different.

“One obvious possibility,” Wynne said, “is that these dogs are true canine savants.” But there’s another, less glamorous theory. “Another possibility is that it’s not their cognition that’s exceptional, it’s their motivational system – that they have motivational systems that can be activated and yet never fill up.”

In short: maybe they’re not smarter—just endlessly driven.

The 76th Cannes Film Festival – The Palm Dog Awards – Cannes, France, May 26, 2023. Stan, a Border Collie, receives the Palm Dog award on-behalf of the dog named Snoop of the film “Anatomie d’une chute” (Anatomy of a Fall). Photo: REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

Not just border collies (though, of course, border collies)

Border collies appear frequently among these gifted learners, which fits their reputation for unsettling intelligence. But they are far from alone. The trait has also appeared in shih-tzus, pekingeses, yorkshires, and mixed-breed rescue dogs—proof that linguistic talent doesn’t follow breed stereotypes.

What does seem consistent is engagement with humans. These dogs are tuned in, listening closely, and storing information long before anyone realizes they’re being taught.

Your dog is still learning—just not vocabulary lists

Even if most dogs can’t identify toys by name through eavesdropping, the study reinforces a broader point: dogs are already excellent students of human behavior. As the researchers note, dogs in general “are really good at understanding human communicative cues.”

Dror puts it more personally. “Even if our dogs do not know the names of objects,” she said, “I think we can still pay more attention to how we are conducting ourselves when we’re interacting with our dogs… with the underlying thought that maybe our dogs are learning something from this.”

They may not grasp nouns, but they understand tone, routine, emotion, and intent. They notice patterns we forget we’re repeating.

So no—your dog is probably not secretly bilingual. But it is listening more closely than you think.

And in very rare cases, when you casually mention pizza, it might just take that as a cue—not to eat, but to prove a point.