Getting Your Dog Started Using Buttons with 'Outside' 

There is quite a bit of negativity in these comments. I have been training dogs for 30 years and what I have discovered is they are only limited by their owners. People want their dogs to know so many behaviors. The problem is they do not take the time to teach them. Training is a 24 hour a day process. Show them a behavior and use it all the time when interacting with them. So the question is can they actually learn to communicate to this extent with us and in my opinion the answer is yes. My Rottweiler had an incredible vocabulary. I used the word cookie so much that she believed that when I said it she should have one. So I started spelling the word. It took her 3 times hearing it and she understood. OK so I tried treat she watched I used the word and again it was hers. My pup spoke perfect Dog-lish. She learned to think and was a problem solver. My husbands GSD was trained through modeling behavior of my other dog. I would work with my rott and click the behavior I wanted and the GSD watched my other pup and learned without formal training. We did not have buttons but they would let me know they needed something and I would give them a list of words, cookie, play, drink, outside ect all things that they knew the meaning of. When I said the right one they let me know. We underestimate our dogs I do not believe that they process thoughts in the same way a human does but never believe that they cannot process thoughts at all. They are only limited by us their humans when it comes to what they can learn.

YES!!! No trainers discuss this nearly enough. Talk, talk talk! To your dog. It teaches then to listen and teaches them about their capabilities to communicate with their owners! I believe constantly talking to my dog from a puppy really grew his emotional intelligence

For anyone worried you need to start out as a puppy; I've been teaching my dog and he is 4 years old. It's going really well! Today I got my hextiles in the mail so I've been replacing my older buttons with the newer ones. The quality is worse than my older ones (makes sense, the older ones used 2 AA batteries and it was much more expensive), but the small size makes up for it. You can start teaching your dog at any age, as long as you've already been talking to your dog a lot, it should be easy :)

Baby bunny is literally the cutest thing on earth.

"Want where mad?" I hear that puppy. Incredible.

4:23 "You wanna go look for the cat upstairs?" (Nods) Wow. I've seen that nod in dogs before but didn't realize it until now that the nod is cross-species. It's almost entirely an affirmative gesture across all of humanity. I imagine it was crossed to canines, who've evolved culturally alongside us as our companions and friends.

At some point, this is going to become commonplace, and your dog is going to tell your whole family every time you do a #2.

she actually nodded when her mom asked if she wanted to go upstairs to look for the cat.

me:（Bunny）（Happy）（Cute）

For people who don't seem to understand how to train a dog how to emote using the buttons: It's important to speak emotions in context a lot. My dog knows these descriptors because when he's mad, I tell him he's mad or ask him why he's mad (although I use the word "upset" because he seems to prefer 2-syllable words). When he's excited and full of joy, I tell him he's happy "Look at that happy boy!" and things like that. I declare the emotions I'm observing. And I fully realized he understood them one day when he walked into the room, seemingly wanting to play and I just told him (without exhibiting any emotion), "No play, mommy is upset." And he instantly dropped his toy and came over to me to show empathy. So with the buttons, you could press the button that corresponds with the emotion until he/she realizes what those are there for.

I cannot express how thankful and impressed I am by this work. That is a very happy and healthy dog. :D

Dogs have limited color vision, only able to see blue and yellow, but a spectrum of those colors combined with shapes would help them identify the word they're looking for rather than black buttons with letters that they can't read. They don't memorize or understand the word on the buttons, they memorize the placement of the word on the floor, so when moved around it would be frustrating for anyone. The company would help the animals quite a lot if they started designing these with shape and color combinations.

I just ordered a Basic Vocabulary set to start teaching at least my youngest pup. I'm pretty excited about it.

My doggo is almost three, so we're kiiiiinda getting started with him late... Buuuut he's a pretty darn smart pup, and we are beyond excited.

Hi there, I'm also a dog listener myself. I've studied Dog Ethology. Visually, they can only distinguish clearly BLUE and YELLOW. So it a big challenge for them to see all what you see on the matt (cause humans distinguish between 3 colours). For example: red, orange and pink, they will perceive it as yellow. Anyway, in order to make it easier for them, it would be useful to learn about Dog Ethology so you may understand you their species perceive :)

We received our first buttons today. It will be interesting to see how quickly our Lab puppy picks this up (or doesn't).

Bunny vs Billi the Cat is so funny to see what each animal prioritizes in their communication.

This dog is manic. "MORE NOW HAPPY... HELP"

4:24 she nodded!!

I can't wait to get some for my cat! She's brilliant and talkative and understands way more complex English than I would normally be able to know a pet understands just from their behavior and body language. I'm really curious to see what will happen when she can speak back to us in the same language.

from what I understand, its about placement and consistency. training your pet to hear those words and connect them to something they want- because yes, some animals have wants and needs too. does your cat or dog want attention? they come to you and show physical signs, but can you be 100% sure that's what they want? introducing buttons and showing actions they represent will teach that pet to use the button to ask for their needs. as a baby, you cry and whine because you can't speak. it will always be a guessing game until the child learns to talk. so therefore, it's not too different in this aspect.

From TikTok! I am going to purchase buttons for my disabled Yorkie hoping he can say potty thirsty and very important Mom I love you. Lol! I love Bunny, y’all are fabulous with your consistency teaching reinforcing etc!!

A latent button story? Our 10-year old golden doodle, Buggy, learned to use the buttons very quickly. She was a pent-up talker! But we only have four buttons and they wound up mostly under the stove, and after a couple of years, were forgotten. So I was very surprised to hear “Buggy go out, pee and poo!” earlier this week. We had had a very disruptive houseguest who had upset everyone, Buggy included apparently. She had an emergency, a rare instance of diarrhea, and had pulled out the button to tell me. We got outside in time. She knows at least 300 words/commands that I know she knows. And who knows how many more she knows that she hasn’t taught me yet! She loves to run errands around the house, can identify the body parts of her stuffed animal toys (I hadn’t taught her, she knew them from knowing her own!), and can track animals and lost or hidden items. I’m thinking of getting her a more complete set of buttons. I think she has a lot on her mind. Surprising intelligence and a funny story? On a trip to NH a few years ago we forgot to bring one of her toys. We stopped and bought her a plush moose. And later when I asked her to “bite the antlers” she went right to them. My husband, known for his dry sense of humor, remarked, “well she’s not that smart, it was just process of elimination…”. We love our Buggy, and miss that wonderful funny man.

I'm so excited, I can't wait to get mine this month!

Oh.. She cant read the words.. She has to memorise the locations of the sounds like its a massive piano

Finally, an approach that makes sense! All the other videos about this are very "training session" oriented. IMO, your kind of simple, practical approach (of pressing the button before doing the activity naturally) seems like it has a much better ROI, and maybe it's even better overall.

I watched a video by one of your detractors. This was my response: Interesting video, and I agree with a lot of it. However, to use one instance of the dog pressing random buttons, doesn't take away from the sessions where the dog clearly is attempting to communicate using the buttons. Like the video where she presses the ouch button with stranger, and the owner finds a thorn in the dogs paw. Yes a big part (maybe the biggest part) is body language and tone, but I don't think all these responses by the dog are random and meaningless. I think there is a little truth to both of these views. will dogs be able to communicate fluently in English, probably not, but I wouldn't discount all of these responses, and just chock them up to pure luck. I also don't think to go after this woman who is clearly not a professional trainer is warranted either. She is clearly trying her best to understand the best way to do this training, and I give her a lot of credit for the effort she is putting into this. Is she reaching sometimes?, Probably, but that exuberance is just her trying to make it work. I am sure that you have had similar experiences with the animals you have trained. All in all I don't see this as being a bad thing. Imagine what would have been missed with primates if we hadn't explored things like computers with them. I am just saying?

Just got mine today! I enjoy training her, can’t wait to get started.

I'm gonna order some tonight. Genius invention!

Cutie! I taught my old cat to say out… He knew how to say Ma,mam - “awa.”

Amazing to watch! Animals are so smart!

Thank you this was so helpful!!

Mine should arrive tomorrow! I can’t wait to get started!

I wonder if Bunny could or would interpret for her dog friends if they were over for a visit?

OmG how freaking adorable I never saw her so young!!! Love her!! God bless her!! 🙏❤️✨

LOVE your earrings by the way! I also love this whole concept, I can't wait to buy buttons for my future fur baby!!

incredible video. THANK YOU so much. I have learned so much from this video. Thank you for mentioning the fitzgerald key method. I would have never known anything about it and I want to make sure I am making it as simple for "Skeeter" as I can. It also made so much sense, but I would have never known about it. I am very excited to get started. Thanks again. I love all you videos and Bunny is such a joy.

Bunny is such a lovely and happy dog. Watching these videos has made me talk to my own dogs differently, bearing in mind both that they can understand more than I think, and that perhaps some words have different meanings for them. I don't have money for buttons, but if I ever do, I'll try this with my 11-year olds, or any other animal I'll have.

Thank you for the food and treat advice! I feel like it has slowed her down. Going to try a new approach after watching this video

"Hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry" lol

There was a dog that would get it's leash at the exact same times every day and bring it to you to go for a walk. Another dog of mine we would spell potty and the dogs would be able to learn that it was the same as saying outside. From that point on I knew they had pattern recognition much like humans do. I knew before that, although that was the proof. Granted much like humans, some are smarter than others. Siblings could be vastly different too.

this was very educational. I see a lot of youtubers making these videos and they always start off with "treat" or "food", which is easy and anyone with zero knowledge can do it.

BUNNY HAS MADE SO MUCH PROGRESS

I found your take on this much better than listening to an established trainer and maybe you are I just started watching your channel but this was a really good explanation

Saw a video on Facebook this morning with these buttons in it and it led me to looking this up because I would love to try to train a future dog to do this. It's super frustrating when I don't understand what my dog wants and I imagine it's even more frustrating for her. Also, don't listen to the haters. Those who are saying this is fake or that you've basically fooled yourself has never paid close attention to a dog and actually formed a close bond before. Those who have know they have complex emotions and needs just like we do. And they are SO much smarter than people give them credit for.

Ordered mine this morning! So excited!

Where do you get the buttons from?? **UPDATE: I found these on Amazon www.amazon.com/dp/B00HT5HBMO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_-686FbV1JQ6VG?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I have a soft coated wheaton terrier mixed with a chow chow. He is 10 years old and has more intelligence than any other dog i have met in my life. I want to start training him to use buttons. But he is mostly blind. He is also diabetic and epileptic, so If eventually he could have a button that said "sick"or something that would really help me to monitor his health. Do you have any reaources on or ideas about helping a blind dog learn these skills without using treats as rewards?

Hahaha I made the mistake with my little rescue girl that ‘hungry was her first word.’ She would push it in the morning to wake me up and when I asked her if she was hungry she got up on her two legs and walked to the bed so she could be eye level with her little head bobbing. I just started my boy with ‘throw it’ last week. So far he’s hit it a few times but mostly it’s me. We will keep going. 😅

I have two dogs and one of them used the outside button last night … for the first time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My cattle dog is exceptionally intelligent BUT my pomchi is feisty lol

I love this! I can't wait to try it with my cat.

Good tips; we didn't speak right away; we all had to learn words. So why dogs not? He just notted when ask if he wanted to look for the cat! 😀😀

I absolutely want to do this with my cats and dog. My dog is 5 mo, so I think this will work for him. One cat is 1yr old, maybe she will catch on. but my Sam is like 10. I think he will say go away lady LOL.

*Rapidly pushes button* "TREAT." "TREAT." "TREAT." "TREAT."

I’m getting a kitty soon and I can’t wait to get some buttons and tiles!!

wow

I started introducing the buttons to my dog 2 weeks ago and started with 'outside' i'm fairly confident she really understands the concept of the button and it's not just a conditioned response. My problem is that she doesn't use the button unless she has line of sight or visual contact with a person. I'd like her to use the button even if we're upstairs so we can come down to let her out. How do i go from here? Is it just a matter of needing more time?

where do you purchase the foam hex mat to put the buttons in?

I was wondering how you can train them to press "concerned" or "mad"? Sometimes it's hard to tell concern from worry. And mad is also something that would be tricky. What is the best way to do that?

Wow

Sprocket from Fraggle Rock!

What clever dog so smart I need another puppy omg

Don’t like that ‘fluent Pet’ has no email address or mailing address to contact them. It doesn’t look like you can return then if any buttons are damaged when you get them. Their rule states that they will accept returns, for unopened packages only. They charge for delivery and amounts are U.S. dollars.

Just started with my dog. She’s already hit it a few times but she is trying to play with the button lol. I told her not to destroy them until she actually learns how to do it

Where can I find those buttons for my pet

Lovely dog would love to own it! I like your cautious advice about the fact that it's about time and patience. True in training any learner. What's next though ROBOTS?

Where do you get the buttons?

The dog nodded at her when she asked if it wanted to go upstairs to see the cat @ ~ 04:23

How do you teach the meaning of 'now' and 'later'?

Where did you get the hex tiles from?

Would you recomend starting with the Hex pads initially, even if there weren't that many buttons on them?

Where do you order these larger buttons from? How do you teach conceptual words like "concerned" or "happy"?

Where did you get the Hex Tiles with the cutouts?

Where can I find these buttons everywhere I look the color is on top of buttons instead of black like yours

I'd be interested in something like this for my mini pig. Pigs are supposedly even smarter than dogs, with intelligence compared to chimps, dolphins and human babies. Has anyone ever used this on pigs?

Some of these words like "outside" and "food" are easy for a dog to learn by association, obviously. But how do you teach her words like "Mad" or "Later"? I think that obviously you're trying to sell a product so the video makes it look like the buttons are effective. I'd love to hear from buyers if they were taught how to teach their dog and how much their pets can actually grasp this list of vocabs.

Can your cat press the buttons too?

With the availability of 3D printing, why not make the buttons distinct shapes to make remembering them easier?

Congratz at being on netflix. Saw hidden lives of pets yesterday. I hope more people will see it as at least for me it open some eyes.

Is bunny trying to teach dog speak? cause a bark then a press

Same with my dog I'm trying to teach you tochoose the buttons

When she said do you want to go upstairs and look for the cat it seem like she shook her head yes

where can I get the foam tiles?

How do you teach her that you’re “Mom” when others call you by your name? My dog is very attuned to words already. I want to try this

Im going to start buttons with my dogs. I talk to mine all the time. I think they already know the key words. What button would you add after outside?

How do they read to press the button?

how did you teach emotion? like mad, and happy?

Where do you buy the hex tiles I ca to find them

she didn't just learn the sound of words but the way the words are shaped.

Do you guys have a video for cats?

Where do you find the buttons?

I dont know what to put on my first four buttons. They are on a schedule to eat, so that's not necessary. I can already tell when they need to go outside, so maybe not that. IDK

So I started with touch training. They only use their nose and not paws. So will have to use it against the wall. But my one girl hits most of the exercises. But the button freaks her out a bit. Outside will also be the first word but for now it's just touching the button. How did you get bunny to not get nervous of the click on the button

I'm mindblown! I'm wondering if I could teach my puppers to express themselves by pushing buttons like those. They understand basic concepts like 'walk', 'food', 'bath', 'trip', 'yes', 'no', everyday objects, people names, etc. We speak Spanish tho.

I'm getting started with a 3 yr old german sheperd. I'm curious which buttons would be good to start with. Cant be 'outside' because we have a doggy door with 2 dogs in house. And he is food and ball obsessed. Would really appreciate any advice. Thank you.

Mine is cared of the buttons :( I don’t think he likes the click it makes

How do you teach. Words like what

Wish there's someone I can say to: more happy happy help, 😂

I wonder if the dogs who know ow how to use buttons could teach other dogs or puppies.

What is the purpose of the Now button? With dogs isn't it all Now?