Language learning in canines and toddlers: Shared origins?

Dror et al. (2026) report that a subset of dogs identified as Gifted Word Learners successfully learn novel object labels through overheard speech, similar to human toddlers in prior work. In this piece, we review parallels between the canine and toddler findings while also highlighting important questions raised by this work that need to be addressed prior to concluding common evolutionary origins of language learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).