Has anyone tried training their dog to use talking buttons? Got any advice on what worked well? Or any YouTube videos or guides you’d recommend? And what brands are worth buying?
I was considering adding pictures to the buttons instead of text. Also, is it better to mount them on a board, or is it fine just laying them around? Thanks in advance.
You should check out the book How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger. She was a speech pathologist who applied her skills to teach her dog, and she goes over the whole method in detail. It’s a pretty interesting read, although it might be a bit time-consuming if you’re not looking to go all-in. Here’s the link to her website for more info:
I’d suggest trying Ken Ramirez’s online course on teaching concepts like big vs. small or counting before going straight into talking buttons. Otherwise, you might end up with something like a “Clever Hans” effect, where the dog only picks up cues from you without really understanding.
Not to sidetrack, but I’ve been seeing tons of these videos on social media. They don’t seem fake exactly, but there’s definitely some selective editing going on. I think it’s totally doable to teach a dog to press buttons for things like food or potty, but when I see buttons for things like Yesterday or Human, I get skeptical. Are you aiming to teach more practical words or the more advanced stuff?
@Dalcy
As someone else mentioned, the book by Christina Hunger explains it well, and her blog goes into detail too. There are definitely ways to mess it up, but her approach seems to get genuine understanding if you’re consistent with it.
A family member sent me this link when I mentioned the buttons:
https://fluent.pet/pages/getting-started-with-talking-buttons
Their kits are pricier than Amazon’s options, though I can’t vouch for the quality on either yet. But the guide they provide seems pretty straightforward for beginners.
I set out some buttons for my dog, and whenever he pressed one, I’d repeat the word and make sure he got what he asked for.
He started to understand them over time! He got a bit obsessed with the food button, though, and began treating everything around the house like a button. It seemed to help with his energy a little, too.