Soon your dog will be sharing his deepest secrets with you. (Photo: Amazon)
Like many dog owners, I am a bit (ok, a lot) obsessed with my pooch. During the pandemic, I taught Edwin to army crawl and give me a high five, but lately I've wanted to find more ways for us to have fun together. When I came across an Instagram account of a woman who taught her dog to speak using recordable buttons, I had to try it.
This might sound crazy, but once you watch the videos on YouTube you’ll think you can do it, too. It’s not that the dogs learn to vocally verbalize their thoughts. Instead, they learn to push buzzers that say things like “treat,” “play” and “outside.”
The first thing I needed to train my pup was large plastic buttons that allow users to record words or phrases of their choosing. I ordered the Learning Resources Recordable Answer Buzzers from Amazon, which have more than 14,000 five-star reviews and cost just $18 for four (down from $28). The buttons were originally designed to be used with preschoolers, but plenty of reviewers used them for their pooches. After all, aren't dogs essentially furry toddlers?
Next up, I had to decide which words to teach Edwin to “say” and then record those words into the buttons. The idea is that the dog can push the button that corresponds to his need or want. Instead of scratching at the front door, he’ll politely push the “outside” button. Instead of standing by the pantry and giving me his best puppy dog eyes, he'll press the button that alerts me that it’s his dinner time. I chose to start with a word for a request that I could easily deliver once Edwin pushes the button — outside.
The Learning Resources Recordable Answer Buzzers are easy to program — just hold the red button on the side to record a word or phrase. It took me a few tries to figure out how close I should hold the button to my mouth to produce the clearest sound. Luckily, recording over earlier versions is as simple as recording a word for the first time.
Once I had the first button ready to go, I pressed it as we headed out for a walk. Edwin seemed confused by the sound of my voice coming from a plastic button, but he also seemed intrigued. I pushed the button every time we went out, but he quickly began to ignore the button.
After a few days of trying unsuccessfully to get him to push “outside,” I decided to add a word for Edwin’s very favorite activity — “eat." He is more interested in this button and sniffs it fervently each time I press it. He pushed it on his own for the first time last night, but it seemed like more of an accident than anything else. That doesn't mean I'm giving up, though. I've already recorded "love" — hopefully his desire for pets will be what convinces him to use the buttons.
Although my pup might not be the next Mr. Ed, plenty of dog parents have been very successful using the Learning Resources Recordable Answer Buzzers with their hounds. Their reviews enumerate the many benefits of these buttons for dog training.
“These. Are. Awesome,” reports a shopper who gave the buttons a five-star review. "If you are looking to use these as a simple, cost-effective way to train your dogs, they are perfect!! I bought my first box and gave away two of the four buttons to friends because we were so pumped with their ease of use. They are quick and easy to program (literally press and hold a button and speak into them). Since then I purchased another box."
According to reviewers, the buttons work for all sizes of dogs, from tiny Chihuahuas to hefty Labradors. Some people even use them with their cats!
“My dog can talk to me now!” says one happy reviewer says. “We're using these to give my dog a voice. She is a nine-pound Chihuahua with arthritis in her front paw and has no problems pushing the buttons down to make them speak. Great purchase. I want to buy more and add more phrases (like "play," "car ride," "bedtime" and "cuddles!"). I'm 100 percent happy!”
"I bought these as a gift for my best friend.... He has a Great Dane, and the buttons have really held up well to his big feet pressing them all the time," says another reviewer. "
"My dog, as he learns, gives them a beating and no problems so far," says a shopper who left a five star review. "It's really fun and empowering for my dog to learn to tell me what he wants."
One owner has been so successful with the buzzers that she has to hide the 'treat' buzzer. "I unpackaged the buttons, installed the batteries and recorded my voice on one of the buttons. Now that my dog knows how to use them ... she cannot stop hopping on them like it's a game of Whac-A-Mole. Safe to say, she is no longer allowed the 'treat' button. I know I am partially to blame, but instead, I choose to blame the company for making these damn batteries durable and the button strong enough to withstand the pounding of a hyper young Shepherd willing to continuously dive-bomb a button for a treat at 2 a.m."
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The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
