Is YOUR dog gifted? Scientists reveal the three key signs to look out for – and the ways you can increase your chances of getting a ‘special’ pooch

All dog owners think their pet is special.

But scientists say some dogs are ‘even more special’, thanks to their talent for learning toy names.

Now a new study from experts at ELTE University in Budapest has revealed the top three signs that your dog is ‘gifted’.

This includes the ability to learn a new toy name in just 30 minutes, as well as the ability to master as many as 50 names over the course of two years.

And if you’re considering getting a dog, researchers have revealed ways you can increase your chances of ensuring he or she is gifted.

Previous studies have shown that certain dogs can learn new words after hearing them just four times, putting them on the same level as a two-year-old child.

Border Collies in particular are known as one of the most ‘gifted’ breeds, although the skill is also found in other dog breeds.

In their new research, the team wanted to understand the specific characteristics of Gifted World Learner (GWL) dogs.

“Because GWL dogs are so rare, until now there have only been anecdotes about their background,” said Professor Adam Miklosi, co-author of the study.

‘The rare ability to learn object names is the first documented case of talent in a non-human species.’

For five years, the researchers searched all over the world for GWL dogs.

“This was a citizen science project,” said Dr. Claudia Fugazza, team leader.

“When a dog owner told us he thought his dog knew toy names, we gave him instructions on how to test his dog himself and asked him to send us the video of the test.”

The researchers then conducted a video call with the owners to test the dog’s vocabulary under controlled conditions.

And if the dog showed that he or she knew the names of their toys, the researchers asked the owners to fill out a questionnaire.

“In the questionnaire, we asked owners about their dog’s life experience, their own experience raising and training dogs, and the process through which the dog learned the names of his/her toys,” explains Dr. Andrea Sommese . -author of the study.

In total, the researchers found 41 GWL dogs from nine countries: the US, Great Britain, Brazil, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Hungary.

As previous studies showed, most (56 percent) of the dogs were Border Collies.

However, two Pomeranians, a Pekingese, a Shih Tzu, a Corgi, a Poodle and a few mixed breeds also turned out to be gifted.

“Surprisingly, most owners reported that they did not intentionally teach their dogs toy names, but that the dogs simply seemed to pick up the toy names spontaneously during unstructured play sessions,” said Shany Dror, lead researcher.

You might think that the owners of gifted dogs have a professional dog training background themselves.

However, the researchers found no link between the owner’s level of experience and the dog’s ability to remember names.

“In our previous studies, we have shown that GWL dogs learn new object names very quickly,” says Dr. Dror.

‘So it’s not surprising that when we did the test with the dogs, the average number of toys known to the dogs was 29.

“But when we published the results, more than 50% of owners reported that their dogs had already acquired a vocabulary of more than 100 toy names.”

The researchers hope the findings will encourage owners of other gifted dogs to come forward and join the research project.

‘The relatively large sample of dogs documented in this study helps us identify the common characteristics these dogs share, and brings us one step closer in the quest to understand their unique abilities,’ added Dr Miklosi to.