Harvey, a six-year-old border collie, has earned the title of Britain’s brightest dog, impressing researchers and dog enthusiasts alike with his ability to recognize over 200 words. The clever canine has memorized the names of 203 dog toys, fetching the correct one every time his owner, Irene Hewlett, calls for it.
Irene, 51, from Reading, has been training Harvey since he was a puppy, starting with a simple command for “little lamb.” Within three months, Harvey had learned the names of ten toys, and his vocabulary only grew from there. “After the first three toys, something seemed to click with Harvey,” said Irene, a biochemist. “Whenever I say the name of a toy, his ears prick up, and he runs off to find it immediately.”
Harvey’s remarkable skills earned him recognition from Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary, which is studying gifted dogs with large vocabularies. He is now one of 40 dogs worldwide to be recognized as a “gifted word learner” by the university’s researchers.
Harvey’s repertoire includes unique names like “llama,” “asparagus,” and even a “tumble bumper.” Irene has created a spreadsheet to track the growing list of Harvey’s toys, noting that he even helps tidy them away by placing each one in a designated box or bag. “He does this calmly, as if it’s no big deal. He is an absolute genius dog,” she added.
This achievement places Harvey among an elite group of dogs, following in the footsteps of Chaser, a border collie who memorized 1,022 object names after extensive training in South Carolina. Irene, inspired by Chaser’s success, has continued to challenge Harvey with new toys and phrases. “We probably have every vegetable toy, including a toy courgette and cauliflower,” she said. “We’re now testing him on drinks, after he learned the names of his toy bottle of champagne and hot chocolate.”
Harvey’s impressive abilities place him at the forefront of canine intelligence research, as global studies continue to explore the potential for dogs to learn and comprehend human language.
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