Want to hear your beloved pooch, feline, or pet pig (yep!) talk? It’s possible—sort of. Teaching your dog to speak used to be a simple trick back in the day, but innovative animal talking buttons can give your pets a surprisingly expansive vocabulary—with a little training, positive reinforcement, and perseverance, of course. 

Let’s backtrack a bit

Thanks to pioneering speech-language pathologist Christina Hunger, working with her Blue Heeler/Catahoula dog mix Stella, you can now help your fur babies communicate their needs and wants via nifty speech buttons. You can see Stella in action on Instagram @hunger4words if you’re curious—or check out Merlin, the talking pig, on TikTok incessantly asking their mom to dance for them or Bunny the labradoodle over at @whataboutbunny. How cute!

According to Hunger, also a New York Times bestselling author of ‘How Stella Learned to Talk,’ “Buttons that your pet can physically use, that work for the preferred space in your home will help you learn to teach them different words.” 

If you’re getting started, Hunger says to “choose buttons that you can spend time experimenting with to determine what works best for you and your pet.”

Let’s talk

You can get cracking with Pet Express’s solo recordable speech button, now at 20% off (from P250 to P200 apiece). The compact, easy-to-press button, which comes in an array of colors, allows you to record up to 30 seconds of voice clip of, say, a go-to word prompt like “outside,” “potty,” “water,” or “play.”

By pressing buttons onto which a word or sound has been recorded, your furry pal can learn to "speak" in simple phrases. Just make sure to introduce one word at a time and encourage regular button use by positive reinforcement aka high-value treats and praises. With constant and proper training (and the right incentives), you’ll be saying “good boy!” or “good girl!” In no time. 

Pet Express’s speech buttons are totally pet-safe, coming with a secure AAA battery compartment. It even comes with free pre-designed sticker labels for easy use—or you can create your own if you’re feeling extra. 

If you’re an ambitious paw parent, you can add a couple more buttons in your space. The additional buttons will let you build on what your fur baby has already learned and expand your pet’s current communication patterns to give them a voice—and help you understand each other more clearly.  

Looking to dip your toe into the waters of pet talking buttons? Shop the Pet Express Speech Button Recordable Solo Pack to get a good feel for the exercise—now at 20% off, from P250 to P200 at Pet Express in SM City Santa Rosa. 

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