'Genius' Dogs?

Many domestic dogs can be trained to follow basic commands. It is much rarer, however, to find dogs that can recognize the names of an array of 'toys'. Workers at the Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest (Hungary) spent 2 years scouring the globe for dogs with this unusual ability (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/oct/05/genius-dogs-learn-names-more-than-100-toys-study-finds). Six dogs (one each from respectively Brazil,; Hungary; Netherlands; Norway; Spain and the US) had enhanced toy recognition skills. All the dogs knew the names of more than 28 toys. Some knew the names of more than 100. They may have been somewhat pampered. The six dogs took part in a livestreamed Genius Dog Challenge. In the weekly challenge, the dog's owners were tasked with teaching them the names of new toys. Most dogs could learn the names of 11-12 new toys in a week. The information could be retained for an extended period. All the dogs in this particular study were Border collies. Similar skills have been found, however, in other dog breeds. The toy recognition skill, consequently, appears unrelated to sheep herding.