The short version
Have you ever wished you could teach your dog to talk? We know our dogs understand a tremendous amount of language, but what if they could speak directly to us? Can you teach your dog to talk? In short, the answer is yes.
Christina Hunger MA, CCC-SLP, a San Diego based speech-language pathologist, has discovered a way to train her dog to actually speak to her using adaptive speech technologies — speech buttons pre-programmed with words that her dog Stella can select between to communicate wants, needs, and thoughts. Christina Hunger has a viral Instagram where she is documenting her dog’s learning called “Hunger4Words” and a website with additional resources.
Teach Your Dog To Talk With Buttons
If you’ve always wondered what your dog has to say, now is your chance to find out. You don’t have to be a speech pathologist or dog trainer in order to begin building a new level of understanding about what your dog wants. Now, you can actually learn how to teach your dog to talk with buttons. Using recordable dog training buttons is a fun way to increase the communication that you already have with your dog. It’s also something that, with a little bit of practice, every dog can use to communicate at least basic things like wanting a walk or to play.
Supplies
Recordable dog training buttons are available to purchase through many retailers — Stella even has her own set! There are high-end buttons purchasable through medical and therapeutic supply companies, but you can also buy cheaper options. I found this four-pack of buttons on Amazon that I bought for training my own dogs. Each button can be recorded with 30 seconds (much more time than you need for just one word). Some owners also choose to buy foam floor tiles and velcro to attach the buzzers to, in order to keep their dog from slipping.
Step By Step
The thought of teaching your dog to “talk” via communication buttons might sound daunting but at least on an initial basic level, it’s something that many dogs should be able to master. The key is patience and consistency. Rushing the process would likely get your dog pushing buttons but not necessarily really understanding the meaning behind the button they push. Dogs who are rushed in the training process are also less likely to independently use the buttons to actively communicate.
Think about how many words your dog already knows from cues for trained tricks and behaviors to people, objects, and experiences such as the names of toys, the park, the beach, etc. With this approach to training, all of the words your dog already knows (as well as other objects and experiences) can all be named for your dog. And in time, your dog could, in theory, be able to use their recorded buttons to ask for those objects and “have a conversation” with you. Many people put a bell on their door and teach them to ring the bell when they need to go out. I like to think of the recordable dog training button method that Christina Hunger is pioneering as a promising and significantly more technologically advanced and precise version of this training.
5 Tricks You'll Want to Show Off
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Frequently asked questions
How to teach your dog to talk with buttons?
The AKC walks through this step by step — the key points are covered above, sourced to the AKC article linked on this page. Have you ever wished you could teach your dog to talk? We know our dogs understand a tremendous amount of language, but what if they could speak directly to us…
How to teach your dog to talk?
The AKC walks through this step by step — the key points are covered above, sourced to the AKC article linked on this page. Have you ever wished you could teach your dog to talk? We know our dogs understand a tremendous amount of language, but what if they could speak directly to us…
How to teach your dog to talk like a human?
The AKC walks through this step by step — the key points are covered above, sourced to the AKC article linked on this page. Have you ever wished you could teach your dog to talk? We know our dogs understand a tremendous amount of language, but what if they could speak directly to us…