Researchers Are Apparently on the Hunt for the U.K.'s 'Smartest Pooch'

Scientists have been searching to find the UK's smartest dog for several years now, and they're still hoping to find them.

The team at the University of Portsmouth is on a quest, and they're hoping to find the right doggo. Take a look!

As part of their ongoing research, the University of Portsmouth research team in the Dog Cognition Centre is looking to explore how dogs learn the symbolism of sound and start associating those sounds and words with objects.

Related: Dog Lovers Can Participate in a Study to Help Their Canine Companions

The team is eager to complete their research, but they've been stalled somewhat for the past few years because they're struggling to find the perfect group of dogs to enroll in their study.

“While we’re looking for a rare group of dogs, they can be any breed or age," Dr Juliane Kaminski, Director of the Centre, which sits within the University’s Department of Psychology, said in a press release .

“To participate in the study, a dog must recognize more than 20 objects by name, ideally toys," she continued. "They just need the specific talent of being able to differentiate an item by a name."

Now, she and her team of researchers are waiting to find the right pup to help them learn more about how dogs learn.

“This project will help us with our investigation into what fuels this unique talent," Dr. Kaminski said. "But to have effective results, we need a large sample of pets, so we need the public’s help!”

The new study hopes to build on previous research on dog cognition, which began over 20 years ago with an " exceptionally gifted dog."

With the help of the super smart dog, a Border Collie named Rico, Dr. Kaminski devised a test where she showed how Rico could label 200 items and recall the correct for weeks after being taught them.

It was a "first of its kind" study, published in 2004, and showed that the dog's ability "is broadly comparable to language-trained apes, dolphins, sea lions, and parrots."

But to build on the research and learn even more, they need to find more dogs with this "exceptionally gifted" ability.

"Rico went on to inspire a citizen-science project, Finding Rico ," the press release explains, "which was launched in 2021 with the goal of locating and studying other intelligent dogs."

How to Find Out If Your Dog Is Smart Enough to Qualify?

If you're interested in finding out if your dog might be the "smartest pooch," the first step is to fill out a survey,

“We are always on the lookout for dogs and their owners to join our dog register,” Dr Kaminski said.

She continued, “All you have to do is answer a couple of questions with their name, age, gender, if they’re toy-motivated, or food-motivated, etc."

Dr. Kaminski said that she is specifically looking for people who are "close-by and can travel to our center in Portsmouth," but that's not a hard rule. "We’re also open to owners further away as we have online surveys too.”

According to the press release, there is no risk to dogs who participate. "The research carried out at the center is strictly observational, and there are no invasive methods of any kind," the press release shared. "Dogs are also always rewarded with food or play for completing their tasks and games."

Anyone interested in taking part in the latest study can contact Dr. Kaminski via email at juliane.kaminski@port.ac.uk .