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USA Today
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Can this book teach your dog to talk? How to use the button method with your pup.
Christina Hunger spent the morning arguing with her dog. Stella isn't an ordinary pup. The Blue Heeler/Catahoula mix doesn't just whine and bark. She uses her words to communicate her frustration to Hunger, who told her it was time to come inside to start the work day. 'Play outside,' Stella 'said' by pushing a button on a mat programmed with various words. Hunger told Stella no. 'Play outside,' the dog repeated, then tried a different approach, offering 'bed outside.' 'Do bed outside later,' Hunger told her. Stella is among the first of the viral 'talking dogs' who have sparked curiosity and speculation across social media. In 2018, Hunger, a speech pathologist, wondered if the button mat, a form of assistive language technology, that she used working with nonverbal children could help her dog communicate too. A little over a year later, Stella had learned almost 30 words. Now, she's bringing a practical guide to pet owners through her book, 'Your Dog Can Talk' (out now from Ten Speed Press). A homegrown global phenomena: Meet Stella, the talking dog Teaching Stella to talk started as a passion project. Hunger applied the techniques she did with her patients by looking at the ways her dog was already communicating and pairing a word with it. Stella would paw at her water dish when it was empty. The next time she did it, Hunger paired it with a button that barked out the word 'water.' She started with basic needs, and when Stella knew over 10 words, she started combining them. Hunger included buttons with her and her husband's names and phrases like 'love you.' Eventually, she taught Stella to communicate emotions like 'mad' and 'happy.' 'Friends would come over and be spooked by what she was saying,' Hunger said. She knew it could be bigger than just Stella, so she started blogging about her experience in 2019. Six years later, she's part of a global movement and has inspired several studies. The largest one, an ongoing project out of the University of California San Diego, involves participants from 47 countries and aims to determine whether dogs are actually communicating or behaving only to secure treats. Many social media users are skeptical. But an initial study from UCSD showed that dogs can comprehend specific words and produce contextually relevant responses. 'The most interesting part has been seeing it take on a life of its own beyond me and Stella,' Hunger tells USA TODAY. 'It started as something so personal in our home, and now it's global.' Why you should teach your dog to talk Any dog can learn to talk, at any age, Hunger says. Your dogs already pick up on vocal and visual cues. With my dog, we have to spell out the word 'walk' and 'treat' when we speak so she doesn't get too excited. Expanding an animal's mode of communication 'opens up so many doors for understanding' to deepen the pet-owner relationship, Hunger says. 'The majority of dog owners have had that feeling of 'What are you thinking?' Or, they've seen their dog whining at them, they know they've been outside, they're fed, but what do they want? What are they trying to communicate to you?' Hunger says. 'First, it's just really reducing the communication breakdowns and any sort of frustration from your dog's end and your end.' Hunger's first book, 'How Stella Learned to Talk,' was closer to a memoir. With 'Your Dog Can Talk,' Hunger instead shares an interactive guidebook with step-by-step instructions and open space for pet parents to write notes. Hunger was inspired by baby books that track milestones like walking or talking. 'I kept hearing from pet parents and talking to pet parents who were trying this, and they just really needed more information and more prescriptive guidance,' Hunger says. 'I had so many more strategies to give, tips to give. … I really just wanted to create a very accessible resource that could be by someone's side the entire time that they're teaching.' How to teach your dog to talk Before you even start with buttons, Hunger recommends taking stock of your dog's communication patterns. 'Your Dog Can Talk' has accessible prompts for this so owners can narrate their dog's actions and intentions. This could be as simple as your dog standing by the back door when they want to go outside. After that, pick four to six basic words to represent these activities. Hunger recommends words like 'outside,' 'eat,' 'walk,' 'love you,' 'water' and 'play.' If you see your dog standing by the door, ask 'Do you want to go outside?' and press the button at the same time you say the word 'outside.' Repeat this a few times, then pause and give your dog time to process. Hunger says pausing is 'the most underrated' tool in teaching your dog to talk. 'Dogs process words a bit slower than humans, and actually communicate at a rate a bit slower than humans, even through their natural vocalizations and barks,' Hunger says. 'So really slow it down. Give them some quiet time to think about what's happening and then go ahead and execute. It just helps actually give them a chance to catch up to speed and decide what they want to say.' Words like 'outside' are just the beginning. In her book, Hunger includes practical tips for getting over learning hurdles and ensuring your dog is communicating, not just repeating words to get a desired action, like a treat. Stella doesn't just use the buttons to communicate her needs, she observes the world around her. When her husband leaves, she asks Hunger where he went. In one recent video, Stella sniffs Mia's infant daughter and then presses the button for her name. Not every dog will learn the same, so it's important pet parents don't get discouraged, Hunger says. 'Figuring out your dog's learning style is key,' she says. Having worked with other button-training dogs, Hunger can break it down to two categories. 'Explorers' have an immediate curiosity and want to play with the buttons. 'Observer' dogs take a bit more time to watch how you use them before they start experimenting on their own. But if your dog is having a hard time catching on, Hunger's 'Your Dog Can Talk' has tips, including increasing pause time, adjusting vocabulary, changing the physical location of buttons, adjusting verbal and visual cues and modeling words in new contexts. Button training isn't one-size-fits-all, but every dog can learn it, Hunger says, and every pet parent can become a "great teacher.' 'I've been blown away seeing how many times Stella has just talked about exactly what we're doing or what's going to happen next that she's already anticipating,' Hunger says. 'It's just really cool to see all the different things that are going through your dog's mind.' Books to make you smarter: Niche nonfiction to read next Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Reason Husky Is Giving Owner the Cold Shoulder Has Internet in Stitches
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A dog owner from Temecula, California, shared a video of her Siberian husky refusing to engage with her or even just acknowledge her presence, and the reason why has left internet users in stitches. The hilarious post shared on Instagram in May under the username @sassyhuskies, shows the pup, 9-year-old Eva, in the front seat of her owner's car, hiding her face away and refusing to interact with her as a punishment for making her leave her favorite pet store. "Are you ignoring me because we left the pet store? Eva we can't stay there all day, baby!" the poster can be heard telling the pup, as she sticks to her guns, refusing to even turn around and look at her. "She was soooo mad when we left her fav pet store," the caption says. Screenshots of the viral video show Eva refusing to interact with her owner. Screenshots of the viral video show Eva refusing to interact with her owner. @sassyhuskies The poster, Olivea Michel, told Newsweek that Eva loves visiting her favorite pet store in Temecula, Puptqe, and when they try to leave, she throws a tantrum where she will lie on the ground and refuse to move. "She will go as far as pretending to be asleep to ignore me," she said. "On this day, they gave me a treat to lure her back to the car with, and once we got in the car, and she realized she had been tricked, she put her head to look at the backseat and refused to respond to me. "I was only able to win back her attention by stopping at the ice cream store on the way home and sharing some ice cream with her. She's very sensitive and emotional and will throw a tantrum to ignore me when she doesn't get her way." While Siberian huskies are known for being intelligent, talkative, and fun to be around, Gentle Vet lists them as number three most challenging dogs, especially for beginners. Just like Eva, these pups tend to throw a tantrum when things don't go their way, and their intelligence and strong-will can make dealing with them frustrating. Other challenging dog breeds in the list include Belgian Malinois, which need extensive physical and mental exercise, and without the firm training are prone to neurotic and destructive behavior; Catahoula leopard dogs, also prone to destructive behavior; Chow Chows, and border collies. The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 13.6 million views and 732,500 likes. One user, Somethinglikeaclassic, commented: "She said I need a moment to figure out why you hate me so much. The dramatics is outstanding." G0lden_graham said: "Toddlers in fur costumes." Chanala_latson added: "If attitude was a person lol. Love dogs." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
New Orleans Police Officer Who Shot a Puppy Will Face Trial
A Louisiana police officer who shot and killed a puppy in 2021 will now face trial, after a lengthy legal battle. On April 10, 2021, two New Orleans Police Department officers were called to Derek Brown and Julia Barecki-Brown's home after receiving a noise complaint. According to legal documents, as the pair approached the house, one officer, Derrick Burmaster, claimed he made "kissy noises" to attract any dogs. Believing there were no dogs nearby, the officers approached the Brown's house. As they did so, a dog began barking, and Burmaster drew his firearm. While the other officer left the Browns' yard after hearing the barking, Burmaster stayed, and the Brown's two dogs then ran down the stairs of the home and approached the officers. One of the dogs, a 16-week-old, 22-pound puppy named Apollo approached Burmaster while wagging his tail. Burmaster fired three shots at Apollo, striking the dog in his neck and chest. Hearing gunshots, the Browns came into the yard, and Derek "held Apollo as he died from the gunshot wound," according to the couple's lawsuit. The couple filed a lawsuit against Burmaster and the City of New Orleans in 2022, alleging that Burmaster unconstitutionally 'seized' Apollo by shooting him. "It is clearly established that an officer cannot shoot a dog in the absence of an objectively legitimate and imminent threat to him or others," the suit reads. "A twenty-two-pound Catahoula puppy, standing less than a foot and a half tall, does not present an objectively legitimate and imminent threat to police officers." A yearslong legal battle followed. Earlier this year, the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled against Burmaster's attempt to appeal a lower court's decision that the case could not be thrown out on qualified immunity grounds. "A reasonable jury could conclude that Burmaster did not reasonably believe that Bruno, a small puppy who was wagging his tail shortly before the shooting, posed a threat," the decision reads. "A reasonable jury could further conclude that Burmaster did not reasonably believe he was in imminent danger, based on Bruno's [sic] size, Burmaster's ability to exit the yard, and the availability of non-lethal tools like the taser and police boots." (The ruling appears to have confused Apollo's name.) Despite efforts to toss the Browns' suit, the case is now set to go to trial. This is far from the first case of "puppycide," where a police officer has shot a dog that posed no obvious threat to his saftey. Burmaster himself fatally shot another dog in 2012, according to The Associated Press. Earlier this month, another Louisiana police department announced that it was investigating two different incidents in which officers shot dogs. It's not uncommon for puppycide cases to be particularly nonsensical. Last year, a Missouri man sued an officer who shot his 13-pound, deaf and blind Shih Tzu. In 2023, another Missouri family's dog wandered away from their home during a storm. When a neighbor found the dog and called to police for help, the officer shot the dog and threw its body in a ditch, rather than simply returning it to its owners. "[Police] don't need to be dog trainers," Cynthia Bathurst, the executive director of the animal welfare group Safe Humane, told Reason in 2016. "They just need to know what to look for and defuse or control the situation with the resources available. It's the compassionate and right thing to do. It's better for community relations. And if that doesn't move them, the huge lawsuits should." The post New Orleans Police Officer Who Shot a Puppy Will Face Trial appeared first on
