CINCINNATI (WKRC) — A groundbreaking global study conducted by the Department of Cognitive Science at the University of California, San Diego, has found compelling evidence that dogs are capable of understanding and combining concepts – and even communicating with their owners using specially designed tools.
The research centered around a unique communication method: a soundboard equipped with buttons, each programmed to say a specific word when pressed.
Researchers observed dogs using these buttons across 47 different countries to determine whether the animals truly understood the words or were simply reacting to the outcomes of pressing them.
One standout participant in the study is Stella, a Blue Heeler–Catahoula mix who has become a viral sensation on TikTok for her button-pressing communication.
In one notable instance, Stella’s usual “beach” button was missing. Instead of giving up, she pressed the buttons for “help,” “water,” and “outside” in succession—suggesting that she could combine separate concepts to form a new, meaningful request.
The findings open up exciting new possibilities for human-animal communication and suggest that dogs may have far greater cognitive abilities than previously understood.