Tips To Teach Your Own Pooch To ‘Talk'

Everyone has something to say – even your four-legged friend!

- Jamie Geddes

Just ask speech pathologist Christina Hunger, who taught her cute puppy, Stella, to communicate using a custom soundboard of words (called Augmentative and Alternative Communication) – the same method she uses to teach children. In her book, How Stella Learned To Talk, Christina shares tips to teach your own pooch to ‘talk’ using recordable buttons, available in educational/tech stores or online.

TALK TO YOUR DOG – A LOT!

To encourage your pooch to speak, you first need to talk to her way more than just giving commands. Like children, dogs learn words by hearing them. “Winston, time to eat. Let’s get your food. Ready to eat? Eat, eat, eat. Winston eats.”

OBSERVE YOUR WORDS

Start observing the words you say most often and teach these ones to your dog.

USE THEIR BUTTONS!