Dogs can extend word meanings to new objects based on function, not appearance

[I'm Dun]

The Belyaev fox experiment?

Yes, but its fairly dated now and lots of arguments for it being flawed came out a few years ago, but it was mainly based on looking at all species and not finding a common domestication theme. There are people working on it and very similar stuff currently. Theres always interesting things going on, and then there tends to be a little bubble of publication and interest and then its on to the next. I think the next big thing will be when we know what whales are actually saying to each other. Its flashy and interesting enough to catch the publics attention and should fuel lots more research into animal communication.

 

[I'm Dun]

Equally I have seen litters of puppies where some have run away from the human into the distance, not in fear, they just don't care, are naturally aloof/aren't that into people, and that is absolutely genetic as well.

Theres always exceptions and of course theres been an awful lot of human fiddling and changing of dog genetics over the last few hundred years. Their roles have changed significantly. Their survival doesnt depend on the things it used to.

 

[CorvusCorax]

So if I said 'Climb Mount Everest' and invited a dog to jump up on a picnic table and rewarded it, 200 times, if I then said 'Climb Mount Everest' the dog would jump up on the picnic table, probably any picnic table. It doesn't mean that the dog knows what Mount Everest is, or believes the picnic table to be a mountain, or believes it is climbing one, it is just linking words to action to consequence.
It's *mostly* pattern, body language and routine recognition.