Dogs can ‘effortlessly’ learn the names of their toys, a new study finds – but most likely if they’re a Border Collie. 

In a sample of 40 dogs, seven were able to learn the names of their toys – like Turtle, Squirrel and Mickey Mouse – after three months of training. 

Amazingly, one of the dogs, a Border Collie, was able to recognise the names of a whopping 37 toys. 

But the ability to learn toy names is relatively rare in dogs, and only apparent in a number of ‘gifted’ individuals, the study authors say. 

Six of the 40 dogs that were adept at learning toy names had prior training, meaning only one of the remaining 34 dogs – about 3 per cent – was able to learn the skill from scratch during the study period. 

Researchers also found that both puppies and mature dogs had the ability to learn