Dogs can remember names of toys years after not seeing them, study shows

The findings could have implications for understanding the evolution of human language, say experts. Photograph: Biology Letters

Dog owners may have trouble remembering which toy is Mr Squeaky, but such names can be seared into the memory of their pets, researchers have found.

Scientists previously discovered some dogs have a remarkable ability to learn the names of toys, with a border collie known as Chaser having learned the labels of more than 1,000 objects.