Research Shows Dogs Seem To Be More Attached To Their Toys Than We Thought

If you’ve got a dog, you might want to think twice about throwing out its favorite toy. Much like kids become attached to certain playthings, a recent study revealed that dogs apparently form particularly strong bonds that can last for years after they’re introduced to a toy.

Dogs know them by name

Researchers at Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary conducted a unique experiment beginning in late 2020 whereby they gave several dogs a dozen toys each and taught them names corresponding with the items.

The resulting play time varied from about 30 minutes a day for some of the dogs to more than five hours for the most playful of the bunch. After a month, the dogs were quizzed on their ability to remember the names of the toys. Similar tests were administered after two months and at the two-year mark. The results, scientists determined, were that dogs have an ability to recall labels that is roughly on par with a child at the age he or she begins learning to communicate.

More accurate than chance

While some of the actions might be written off as coincidence, the researchers determined that these animals were far more accurate — even after two years — than the roughly 20% rate dictated by sheer luck.

Overall, here’s how the dogs performed:

• After one month, they chose the right toy 70% of the time
• That likelihood dropped to about 55% after two months
• The final test after two years still resulted in 44% accuracy

And that’s even considering the fact that one of the dogs brought down the average with an accuracy rate pretty close to pure luck.

It’s worth noting that all of the dogs in the study were border collies, so if you’ve got a different breed your mileage may vary.

Chris Agee September 6th, 2024

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