Researchers from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary experimented with 18 dogs and their owners. Brain activity varied depending on whether the dog was shown the appropriate object or another.
When dogs heard familiar words, brain activity indicated that they were activating a corresponding memory, the team reports. The brain activity of familiar objects suggests that dogs generally have the ability to recognize them - "and not just a few exceptional individuals who know the names of many objects," it is said. The researchers presented their results in the journal “Current Biology”.