Everyone thinks their dog is cute, smart and special, but new research finds some dogs are “even more special” thanks to specific abilities. A new study from ELTE University in Hungary uncovers the key signs that your dog is gifted, as well as ways to boost the chance that they’re gifted.
Researchers set out to understand the specific characteristics of Gifted World Learner (GWL) dogs.
- They spent five years searching around the world for GWL dogs, because they’re so rare, according to study authors.
- In the end, they found 41 of these special pups from nine countries - the U.S., the U.K., Brazil, Canada, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Hungary.
- More than half (56%) were border collies, two were Pomeranians, one Pekingese, one Shih Tzu, a corgi, a poodle and some mixed breeds were also found to be gifted.
- The dog owner had no professional dog training background and researchers found there was no link between the owner’s level of experience and the dog’s ability to remember names.
- Owners didn’t teach their dog the toy names, these brilliant dogs just learned from playing.
So how can you tell if your dog is gifted? According to the study, the three key signs are:
- Your dog only needs 30 minutes to learn the name of a new toy.
- Your dog knows the name of at least 15 toys.
- And that your dog is able to learn more than 50 toy names over the course of two years.
If you’re thinking about getting a dog, the study also reveals the things you can do to increase the likelihood that they’re gifted:
- Buy your dog from a breeder
- Make sure they live with you by the time they’re 10 weeks old
- Only have one dog and two adults in your household
- Have your dog spayed or neutered
Source: Daily Mail