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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Ian Sample Science editor

Dogs can understand the meaning of nouns, new research finds

Dog holding a slipper in mouth
Lab studies suggest the dog brain can reach beyond commands such as ‘fetch’ and ‘sit’. Photograph: Zoonar GmbH/Alamy

Dogs understand what certain words stand for, according to researchers who monitored the brain activity of willing pooches while they were shown balls, slippers, leashes and other highlights of the domestic canine world.

The finding suggests that the dog brain can reach beyond commands such as “sit” and “fetch”, and the frenzy-inducing “walkies”, to grasp the essence of nouns, or at least those that refer to items the animals care about.

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