Perhaps you've seen that bumper sticker, the one that says, "My Border Collie Is Smarter Than Your Honor Student"?

For owners of this herding breed, named for the rugged border between England and Scotland, this isn't far from the truth.

And now science is backing them up. Seems that a border collie in Germany named "Rico" can understand more than 200 words, about the same number as a human toddler.

Rico also picks up the meaning of new words with surprising speed. This ability is called "fast mapping" and is used by children as they learn to speak.

Rico may be a wonder dog even by Border Collie standards. Still, there's no denying it: this breed is bright! But before you go out and buy your own border collie, remember: this is a very active animal and like an active child, needs a great deal of attention.