Elsie and Guppy's Journey With Buttons!
Catch Mary Robinette, Elsie, and Guppy in action on Instagram. Q. So Mary Robinette, who are these learners of yours? I have two learners, Elsie and Guppy. Elsie is a calico and is both sweet ...
Get Inside Dogs’ Minds by Paying Attention to Their Noses
By Courtney Sexton I first heard the term “umwelt” a dozen or so years ago when I read psychologist and canine cognition expert Alexandra Horowitz’s book, “Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, an...
The Energetic Flounder Meatloaf on Pressing Buttons
Catch Flounder and Nina in action on Instagram and TikTok. Q. So Nina, who is this learner of yours? Flounder Meatloaf is a border collie in a cat body. She has all of the energy! She loves to...
Have Safe Summer Fun With Your Dogs and Cats
By Courtney Sexton For many of us, summer means more time outside enjoying nature, the sunshine, and good weather. And that goes for our animal companions as well. My dog relishes more frequent tra...
It’s Firework Season—Do You Know Where Your Dog Is?
By Courtney Sexton For us humans, the sound of a firework can be startling, but since we understand that this surprising sound is safe, what would be scary becomes merely exciting. Unfortunately, d...
My Reactive Dog Just Wants to Be Safe
by Elizabeth Phelps Your browser does not support the video tag. Part 1: My New Puppy I brought Roscoe home from a local farmer's market when he was just 8-weeks old because I...
FluentPet’s Scientific Integrity Review Board
At FluentPet, we’re excited to announce a significant step forward in our mission to revolutionize animal communication: the formation of our Scientific Integrity Review Board (SIRB). This board wi...
Food-Related Buttons Got Fülöp Talking
Catch Beki & Fülöp in action on Instagram @fulop.a.beszelo.beagle Q. Who is this learner of yours? Fülöp is a 5-year-old Beagle from Hungary and he is without a question true to his breed: ...
How Breed May Influence Your Dog’s Learning Style
I don’t know about you, but I’m a “do it” learner. I can read and digest a good amount of material, and visual depictions are really helpful, but learning new things is easiest for me when I watch ...
What Could Your Dog's Face Be Telling You?
by Courtney Sexton What do you see when you look into the face of your furry friend? Perky ears? Soulful eyes? A heart-shaped nose? A familiar speckle or patch? It turns out that what dogs look li...
How Buttons Made Suki More Confident
Catch Cony and Suki in action on TikTok @tukiprrlanchina Q. So Cony, who is this learner of yours? Suki is a tortie calico kitty that we failed foster. She has Cerebellar Hypoplasia, which mak...
Dogs' Natural Drive to Communicate With Us
by Courtney Sexton Did you know that puppies are born ready to communicate with people? How well they end up being able to get their point across or respond to cues depends in large part on the h...
Communication’s Impact on Dog Domestication
by Courtney Sexton Long before I began my journey to becoming a dogologist (aka evolutionary biology/animal behavior researcher), I was inspired by the ways my late dog Remy and I were able to co...
8 Signs They May Start Pressing Buttons Soon
Feeling a bit discouraged because your dog or cat hasn’t started using their communication buttons yet? Don't worry, you're not alone. Many button teachers experience the same initial challenges. H...
Scarlett Shows Her Personality With Buttons
Catch Scarlett and Dianne in action on Instagram @ScarlettSaysMore and @NeuroDogTraining Q. So Dianne, who is this learner of yours? Scarlett is Miss Personality but I don’t think she means to...
Jackson the Cat Loves Asking for Kisses!
Catch Jackson in action on TikTok @speaking_of_cats Q. So Joshua, who is this learner of yours? Jackson is a 8 year old medium haired cat! He is laid back, sweet, and loving but sometimes deman...
by Courtney Sexton How long do dogs really live? The short answer is, not long enough. Dogs are the source of immeasurable joy and happiness, and have much to teach us about living and loving. Th...
Catch Snowy and Cody in action on Instagram @snowycodyragdolls Q. So Shuang, who are these learners of yours? Snowy and Cody. Snowy is just over 3 years old, he is chatty, active, but demandin...
Catch Millie in action on Instagram at @buttonpigs Q. So Jenny, who is this learner of yours? Millie is a rescued guinea pig. She is extremely food motivated and sassy when she doesn't get what...
Catch Mylo in action on Instagram at @ohmymylo Q. So Maurice, who is this learner of yours? My learner’s name is Mylo. He is 35 pounds of energy, brains, and sass. The order of importance for ...
How Three-Legged Champion Learned To Talk
Catch Champion in action on Instagram at @chatwithchamp Q. So Melissa, who is this learner of yours? Champion is an orange, three-legged, feline goofball who loves snoozing as much as any kitty...
A Schnauzer's Tale of Learning to Talk
Catch Ovi in action on Instagram at @ovi_theschnauzer Q. So Mika, who is this learner of yours? Ovi is my 7-year-old rambunctious Mini Schnauzer. He loves his dad, his food, to patrol our house, ...
The New Realm of Reward-Based Training
by Courtney Sexton Until recently, common dog training methods relied on a dated understanding of animal behavior. A punishment-based approach grounded in ideas of “dominance” was the norm in man...
Do Dog Buttons Really Work? A Cognitive Scientist's Perspective.
by Leo Trottier One of the most frequent questions we get is “do dog buttons really work”? As a cognitive scientist with degrees from the University of Toronto and UC San Diego, when I saw the dog ...