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Teaching the dog to talk..

Elysian

Jogging around the block
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While I'm waiting for my bfs puppy to grow up a bit so I can get back to finding my soul-parrot..
I decided to teach it to talk. :joyful:

Anybody dabbled in this before?

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Destiny

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As far as teaching a dog to use AAC ... It seems like it could be done. It would be challenging and your success will probably depend on how much time and energy you are willing to invest in the project. And if your dog is on-board with the learning process.

When my doberman was a puppy, we tried to teach her to ring a bell to be let outside. She never made the connection and eventually we lost interest, but left the bell on the door handle. Our next puppy was a lab ... and she taught herself to ring the bell without any input from us. She just started doing it and we let her out. Super easy. The doberman still doesn't understand how to use the bell.

Just be aware that if you successfully teach your dog to ask for stuff, it might happen more than you expect or appreciate or under unexpected circumstances. Our lab is far and away the most demanding of our dogs, in part because she is very "verbal" and will bark until we read her mind and figure out what she needs. Heaven help me if my lab ever discovers a foolproof way to ask me to play fetch. She would never stop pushing that "Ball" button. Never.

On a related note, I have taught all my dogs to sit to receive treats and if they offer a sit without being asked, they have learned that I will usually reward them with a little taste of the food I am holding. Basically begging, but very polite and I feel that deserves recognition. So if one of my dogs come over to me and sits sponatenously, I understand that means he wants whatever I am holding at that moment.

So imagine my reaction when I am holding one of our chickens in my arms and my big dog walks over and politely sits down, looking up at me with a hopeful expression on his furry face.

Umm no ... nice try, buddy. You do not get a taste.
 

Elysian

Jogging around the block
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His first conditioning lesson actually went really well I think!

So when we brought him home, we already had a bell on the door for no reason.. I can't even remember where it came from, but I decided to make it his potty bell. He caught on quick, but he got into a mood one day early on and tried to play tug with it - ripping it off the door, and I was actually afraid he was going to eat the jingle bell.

To replace it I bought these:
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And he has been slapping the heck out of them like he's an angry customer at a hotel desk when he wants outside.

I suddenly realized thats really all he needs to start using buttons instead.

So, here we go..
* He can definitely hit the button
* Just working on correlating it with food!

This is pretty cool.
 

Elysian

Jogging around the block
Celebirdy of the Month
Joined
7/27/20
Messages
911
Location
Kansas City, Missouri
So imagine my reaction when I am holding one of our chickens in my arms and my big dog walks over and politely sits down, looking up at me with a hopeful expression on his furry face.

Umm no ... nice try, buddy. You do not get a taste.
Haha! I wonder if that is what Argus thinks when he's watching the birds..
When they are safe in their cage, I sometimes leave their bedroom door open with a stand alone baby gate set up in a semi-circle.. so he can go "in" their room but there are two layers of barrier keeping him away from the birds themselves.
For the most part he ignores them (which is what I'm trying to encourage by letting him see them), but sometimes when they get loud I see him go over there and just sit politely in his "viewing area" and look at them.
 
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