referential communication; human/dog interaction; local enhancement When food or a toy is out of their reach, dogs display behaviors directed at the target and attention-getting like behaviors towards their owner (e.g., gaze alternation, gaze at the target/owner). These alternating visual behaviors are referred to as functionally referential communication. The present study investigated whether 21 domestic dogs use their own location as a functionally referential cue to indicate the location of the inaccessible desired toy. Dogs were tested at the owners’ homes. A free play session between the owner and the dog with the dog’s toy preceded each experimental condition. Condition 1: the owner hid the dog’s toy in a container, and both the dog and the owner stayed in the experimental room for 30 s. Condition 2: the owner hid the dog’s toy in the container and the owner left the room for 30 s. Condition 3: the owner hid the toy in another room and both agents stayed in the experimental room for 30 s. The duration spent in the ‘container area’ and in the ‘door area’ (close to the other room) was analyzed. Dogs spent significantly more time near the container when both the owner and the target were present than when only the owner or the toy was present. Moreover, they spent almost no time at the door during Condition 3. Dogs spent significantly more time positioned close to the container during the presence of both the toy and the owner than close to the door when the toy was behind it (Condition 3). The same pattern of results was found for gaze alternation between the owner and the target. The results suggest that the dogs use their own location as a local enhancement functionally referential cue.