How Stella Learned to Talk: The Groundbreaking Story of the World's First Talking Dog

by Christina Hunger

TAKEAWAYS FOR TEACHING YOUR DOG Expect a language input phase. Your dog will need to hear words to learn words and will need to see her AAC in use to learn how to use it. Expect that this will take time. Model words when your dog communicates. When you see your dog gesturing, whining, or barking, model the word for what you think she is trying to communicate. Pairing a word to her communication is powerful. Use naturalistic cues to draw attention to buttons. If a long pause doesn’t work, you can stand by the button, point at it, or tap it. Pause again after giving a cue. If your dog still doesn’t explore the buttons, go ahead and model the word and carry on with your activity. Model during natural contexts. Model words when they are relevant to what is naturally happening. Respond to communication. If your dog says a word, respond appropriately! In the beginning, try to honor your dog’s communication as much as you can. If your dog is not using words, continue responding to all her other forms of communication. Do not withhold food, water, playtime, trips outside, or anything from your dog. Just create a minute or two of opportunity for your dog to try using a word.

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