2. Rico (born December 13 1994) is a border collie dog who understood more than 200 simple words. : Rico retrieved an average of 37 (out of 40) items correctly. Rico could also remember items' names for four weeks after his last exposure. Rico may be the “Einstein” of the dog world with a vocabulary of over 200 words that he has learned to associate with objects that include his collection of children’s toys, balls, and stuffed animals. However, it is possible that his ability is characteristic of dogs in general, since researchers believe most dogs can understand around 200 words.
3. To go one step further, the researchers wanted to see just how Rico was learning the names of new objects. They would put a new object in a group of recognized objects. Then they had his owner call out the name of the new object. Rico would sniff and nudge the objects, carefully selecting the unknown object. He correctly retrieved the new object 7 out of 10 times. These tests showed that Rico can do simple logic, using his prior knowledge of his toys. It also shows that he is thinking about which object he should pick up.
4. Perhaps the most remarkable feature of Rico’s abilities is that he can remember the name of the object 3 out of 6 times a month later, even if it has only been introduced once. This behavior is called “Fast Mapping,” which means that he could identify the unknown toy out of other known objects and learn to associate it with a sound (or word). According to the scientists, Rico’s learning capability is equivalent to a three-year old child, minus the ability to speak. Evolutionarily speaking, this means that the ability to link meaning to sounds, probably came before the ability to talk in humans.
5. Border collies in general are considered the most intelligent of all dogs. They are often kept as work dogs that live closely with humans, where there close interactions with people have helped them learn to understand human language and become good at reading body language. Rico may be a special case because his owners started to teach him the names of toys when he was only 10 months old as a means to stimulate him while he was ill and unable to play outside. Although his vocabulary is comparable to other language trained animals like chimpanzees and sea lions, Rico’s ability to understand syntax (more than the phrase “fetch the ___”) remains to be tested. Perhaps dogs and other mammals have the capacity to speak but are not being understood. Other research has shown that dogs laugh, mice sing courtship songs, primates can learn sign language, and more. The bottom line is that humans are not the only animals with the capacity for language.
