Dog Talks with Buttons
Those of us who have pets have often wished we could know what they’re thinking. Although the talking dog collar from the movie Up! isn’t reality (yet), a dog named Bunny is learning how to talk another way. And people are taking notice. (1)
Bunny is an 11-month-old sheepadoodle, which is a mix between an English sheepdog and a poodle. Her owner, Alex Devine, is teaching Bunny how to talk with buttons that say specific words when pressed. Bunny can already utilize 40 words to tell her family what she needs and how she feels. (1)
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
The buttons are part of a class of tools called augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, “people who, some or all of the time, cannot rely on their speech” use AAC to communicate. Estimates put the number of people using AAC at more than 2 million. (2)
There are two categories of AAC: unaided and aided. Unaided forms of AAC encompass nonverbal communication, such as facial expression and gestures. It also includes sign language. Aided AAC involves external support to communicate. Forms of external support include communication boards with pictures, line drawings, writing, or printed words. They also include digital devices like computers and tablets that may generate speech for the user. People may use both aided and unaided forms of AAC. (2)
Bunny’s speech buttons are aided AAC devices. The buttons play pre-recorded words and phrases when Bunny presses them. She can even press multiple buttons in a row to express a longer thought. (1)
Devine teaches Bunny how to use new words through modeling and repetition. She told TODAY that she taught Bunny the word “outside” by pressing the relevant button and saying the word before letting the dog outside. She pressed the button again before letting Bunny back inside. Devine said that Bunny could press the outside button independently after three weeks. (1)
Devine says that she’s making it up as she goes along, but her method seems to be working. “If I knew exactly how to model them it would be easier for her to pick them up, but it’s kind of putting puzzle pieces together, and without having a background in anything really related to this, I’m just sort of making it up as I go,” she told TODAY. (1)
Teach Your Dog to Talk
Although Devine might not have previous experience teaching dogs to talk, she was inspired by someone who does. Christina Hunger is a pediatric speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons, too. After observing Stella’s vocalizations, eye contact, and gestures, Hunger realized that they were similar to those used by children before they can access verbal communication. She thought that she might be able to teach Stella to talk using AAC, and she was right! Hunger is now writing a book so that other people can learn her method for teaching their dogs to talk using buttons. (1)
It looks like there will be plenty of interest in Hunger’s book. Devine has been sharing videos of Bunny talking with the buttons on her TikTok account, @what_about_bunny. The account already has more than 1.9 million followers interested in Bunny’s communication journey. (1)
