The 4 best dog talking buttons to communicate with your pup

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Understanding your dog's wants and needs isn't always easy, but there's a lot they can tell you if you teach them to use the best dog talking buttons. These devices are adapted from pressable augmentative communication buttons, which speech-language pathologists have long used to communicate with individuals who are nonverbal. Speech therapist Christina Hunger popularized them with animals after discovering she could use them to "speak" with her dog Stella.

We interviewed a veterinary behaviorist and a professional dog trainer about what to look for in the best dog buttons and how to use them with our pets. The Fluent Pet Get Started Kit is our top pick because it's completely customizable and easy to set up. It also includes a nonslip tile that helps keep buttons in place and organized.

Similar to the best dog toys, dog buttons offer enrichment and an outlet for play. If you're interested in teaching your dog to "talk," you can start small with a beginner set of four to six buttons or build a larger, fully customizable system. Either way, talking buttons can help strengthen your bond with your dog and open up a new, exciting way to communicate with them.

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Our top picks for the best dog talking buttons

Best overall: Fluent Pet Get Started Kit - See at Amazon

Best budget: Hunger for Words Talking Pet Starter Set - See at Chewy

Best customizable: Talking Products Talking Tiles - See at Amazon

Best potty button: Mighty Paw Smart Bell 2.0 - See at Walmart

Best overall

Fluent Pet's Get Started Kit was designed to foster better communication between dogs or cats and humans. The battery-operated system garnered attention when Bunny, a canine learner using the buttons, began to amass hundreds of thousands of social media followers. The kit comes with everything you need to teach your dog, including six buttons with microphones for recording words and 67 stickers to identify the buttons visually.

Valli Parthasarathy, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist and cofounder of Synergy Veterinary Behavior, recommends starting with words that can be clearly paired with something your dog regularly sees or does. "More abstract concepts such as emotions and time would be more challenging to teach," she says. The buttons fit into three nonslip hexagonal tiles: one for actions, one for objects, and one for places. The tiles can be arranged in multiple configurations and easily disassembled or added to. The kit arrives ready to use with batteries installed and a starter guide.

Best budget

The best dog talking buttons don't have to cost a lot. The affordable Hunger for Words Talking Pet Starter Set was developed by Christina Hunger, the speech pathologist whose Blue Heeler-Catahoula mix Stella went viral after learning to communicate using dog buttons. It comes with four different colored buttons that are easy for dogs to press. You can record simple phrases like "outside" or "food" and use the included step-by-step teaching guide to introduce them to your dog. The recordings are clear and easy to hear. During testing, the buttons were simple to set up and record words, which was a nice bonus.

Hunger For Words makes add-on sets and a button mat for teaching more advanced communication. How quickly your dog learns depends on a variety of factors, says Sara Scott, a professional dog trainer. "A dog with a long history of training may pick it up really quickly, but a dog who is green might take considerably longer," she says. "It also depends on how efficient you are as a trainer and how much work you're putting in."

Best customizable

According to Scott, you can either teach your dog new words one at a time or simultaneously work on a few words with different meanings. Talking Products Talking Tiles consists of six different-colored buttons that you can customize with audio messages and images.

Each 4-inch-wide hexagonal button can record sound using a built-in microphone or a smartphone or computer using the audio-input jack. You can further customize each button by adding a picture or symbol underneath the removable transparent cover. Each button runs on three AAA batteries, which must be purchased separately. A downside of these buttons is that they need to be powered on and off individually using a switch on the bottom. This may be tedious for frequent users.

Best potty button

Teach your dog how to communicate when they need to go outside with the Mighty Paw Smart Bell 2.0, the most high-tech option among the best dog talking buttons. The bell consists of a plug-in receiver and an easy-to-press activator button. The 2-inch-diameter wireless activator button can be placed anywhere within 1,000 feet of the receiver using a 3M adhesive strip. The water-resistant button can even be placed outside for dogs who need to let you know when they're ready to come in. To adjust the sound of the bell, choose from 4 volume levels and 38 different ring tones.

The Mighty Paw Smart Bell also comes with a training guide to help you get started and a self-charging battery is built into the device. Just be sure that you are responsive to the bell after your dog learns to use it. "Once your dog understands that they can ask to go outside, you need to make sure that you prioritize meeting your dog's needs," Scott says.

What to look for in dog talking buttons

Not all dog buttons are created equal, so choosing the setup that will work best for you and your dog is important. Dr. Paige Adams, a veterinarian and medical director at Etowah Veterinary Hospital, says it's important to consider your pet's needs. Dogs who are hard of hearing may require buttons that project sound clearly. If you want to teach your dog a select number of phrases, a few buttons rather than a whole set is ideal. Figuring out what type of buttons your dog prefers will come down to trial and error, but understanding their needs is a good starting point, Adams says.

You'll want to consider the following features to get the right tools for you and your dog.

Sound level: Look for buttons that record your voice clearly and at a loud enough volume for your dog to understand. Since each button will contain only a single word or phrase, you don't need to worry about the recording time length.

Durability: The best dog talking buttons need to be durable. Look for ones made of heavy-duty plastic that are easy to wipe clean. Because some dogs prefer to push buttons with their noses, water-resistant options or those made from BPA-free plastic are ideal.

Ease of use: Dog buttons should be a cinch to set up and record. Simple designs are better than overly complicated ones with lots of bells and whistles, which might confuse your dog. You'll also want to ensure that the button size is right for your pet. Adams says that larger breeds may have trouble pressing smaller buttons, just as toy breeds may struggle to press larger buttons.

Customizability: If all the buttons look the same, both you and your dog will struggle to distinguish between them. Stickers can help differentiate the buttons, but dogs are also good at recognizing the meaning of a button based on its placement. For example, the "outside" button is to the left of the "play" button, which is to the left of the "food" button. Look for sets that include mats or sell them separately to hold the buttons in place, especially if you plan to teach your dog many words.

Starter guide: If you're new to dog buttons, look for a set with a starter guide or instruction manual. Some guides also include additional activities to encourage learning.

Batteries: All of the best dog talking buttons are battery-operated, but some batteries are easier to replace than others. Look for buttons with a simple battery insert or recharge with a USB cord. Bonus points go to buttons that are sold with batteries included.

How we selected the best dog talking buttons

To understand how dogs interact with and learn to use "talking" buttons, we consulted Valli Parthasarathy, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist; Sara Scott, a professional dog trainer; and Paige Adams, a veterinarian. Based on their input and author Shoshi Parks' experience as a professional dog trainer, we selected the best dog buttons based on the criteria in the previous slide, including sound level, durability, ease of use, and customizability. We also tested the Fluent Pet buttons, Hunger For Words Talking Pet Starter Set, and Talking Products Talking Tiles.

Dog talking buttons FAQs

Do dog buttons work?

Yes, they can. With consistent training, dogs can learn to use talking buttons programmed with specific words to communicate. And dogs aren't the only animals capable of this type of learning. "Cats are as good at making associations as dogs, so it stands to reason that they can also learn to use the buttons and associate them with certain situations or activities," Parthasarathy says. For instance, a cat might use a button to communicate with you when they want to play with one of their cat toys.

Do dogs need buttons to learn words?

No. Dogs don't need talking buttons to understand human language. If your dog already knows cues like sit, come, or stay, they've learned to associate human language with actions. Parthasarathy says dogs also come to understand words and phrases that are associated with specific outcomes. Some dogs might equate "Do you want to go out?" with going outdoors. Or the word "dinnertime" can signal to a dog that food will be put in their bowl.

How do I teach my dog to talk using buttons?

The first step is teaching your dog how to activate a button using their paw or nose, Scott says. Start by recording a word such as "treat" on a button. Then press the button so the word plays back and immediately give your dog a reward. Repeat this process 10 to 20 times so your dog associates pressing the button with receiving one of their favorite dog treats.

After that, pause and wait near the button while your dog begins to explore it on their own. If your dog moves toward the button, quickly press it yourself and reward them with a treat, even if they don't successfully activate it. Over time, they'll begin pressing the button independently. Each time they do, immediately reward them with a treat. When you're not actively training, put the button away so your dog doesn't become frustrated if pressing it doesn't lead to a reward.

Once your dog understands how the button works, you can start pairing buttons with objects and routines common to their everyday life. "Some of the easiest behaviors to teach first would be patterns of routines you already have set in your life," Scott says. Good starter words include "outside," "food," and "play."

Repetition and reinforcement are key when introducing new words. To teach "outside," for example, record the word and place the button by the door. Ask your dog to press the button, then immediately open the door to let them out. If your dog enjoys going outside, the action acts as positive reinforcement. If it's not an activity they love, offer them a treat as soon as they step through the door. Repeat the sequence every time you let your dog out. Eventually, they will learn that pressing the button leads to the door opening, and they'll begin to do it on their own.

Although abstract ideas like emotions are much harder for dogs to understand, talking buttons can still be useful for managing some problem behaviors, according to Scott and Parthasarathy. "Using these buttons can potentially be helpful in cases where a dog uses an undesired behavior such as barking at their guardian to obtain something they want," Parthasarathy says. Buttons can also be helpful even when the dog isn't the one pressing them. For example, a shy dog that is easily startled by sudden movement might benefit from a verbal warning that you are about to stand up from your desk. Pressing a button that says something like "up" before you stand can help signal what's about to happen and reduce your dog's stress.