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Dogs can grasp the human language

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German collie makes Lassie look like slow learner

By Sheila Halloran

Friday, June 11, 2004

 

A border collie from Germany is impressing the world with his extensive 200-word vocabulary and proving that dogs can grasp the human language.

 

A study recently released in Science magazine studied a 9-year-old family border collie named Rico who learned the names of unfamiliar toys following new word-toy combinations. Rico would fetch an unfamiliar toy by eliminating the names of the toys he knew.

 

German researchers tested Rico's 200-word vocabulary in a series of controlled experiments in which he correctly retrieved 37 out of 40 items from his toy collection.

 

``Never underestimate a dog's ability to learn a wide vocabulary,'' said Gail Miller, director of media relations for the American Kennel Club. ``From showing and training dogs for obedience, I think it goes even well beyond words. Dogs' perception of human behavior is extremely intricate and complex.''

 

Rico's retrieval rate is compared to that of language-trained apes, dolphins, sea lions, parrots and even 3-year-old toddlers, according to the researchers.

 

``I'm very impressed with this study,'' said Miller, ``and I definitely believe it's true.''

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