Tired of the People in Your Family? Some Are Teaching Their Dogs to Talk – The Wall Street Journal

Kaili Smalley says it took 18 days to get her 8-year-old German shepherd to talk to her.

The New York University grad student was back home in Idaho, with time on her hands after her internship was canceled. In July she bought the cheapest recording devices with buttons that she could find with the intention of chatting with her dog, Gracie.

She tried rubbing treats and water on the buttons in an effort to teach Gracie to press them whenever she wanted either, but nothing worked. It wasnt until a family reunion that Gracie saw another dog press the button and was hooked. Now she cant stop talking.

Its boosted morale in my household, Ms. Smalley, 27, says.

Pet lovers were captivated when speech-language pathologist Christina Hunger last year claimed to have taught her dog Stella how to communicate using augmentative and alternative communication, or AAC. This is often used to help people with speech and language issues communicate without talking by using their body or a device.

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Tired of the People in Your Family? Some Are Teaching Their Dogs to Talk - The Wall Street Journal