They may not make it into the top 5 of most popular dog breeds, but border collies and Yorkshire terriers still have something to boast about. From their ranks come two “gifted” individuals, who have learnt new words after hearing them only four times.

Most dogs do not learn words, such as object names, unless “extensively trained”, but a few very talented dogs do, preliminary evidence by the Family Dog Project (https://familydogproject.elte.hu/) has found...