Trainer Guidelines

Ethics

Our first priority is always the ethical and humane treatment of animals. This is visible in the way we work with our learners, the way we portray teaching publicly, and in all of the content we share.

Humility

We believe that no one is an AIC expert. Because AIC is a new field, we approach our journey with humility, recognizing that we’ll learn more about best practices with time. We don’t have all the answers, but we're committed to sharing our journey for the benefit of others.

Positive Reinforcement

In teaching our learners to use buttons, we're committed to doing so using the techniques of modeling and positive reinforcement. We never use force to make our learners use their buttons, or withhold basic needs in exchange for presses.

Honesty

We're not “training,” we're teaching, and we're committed to honesty in how we present ourselves. We show our learners using buttons as they normally would – not doing tricks we've trained them to do on cue – and we never use deceptive editing in videos we share.

Inclusion

We recognize that there are many different kinds of people who follow our social media accounts and so we try to keep things “family friendly” whenever possible.

Objectivity

We keep a healthy dose of skepticism, and recognize that the skepticism of others is often legitimate. However, we avoid escalating arguments and engaging in extended public back-and-forths.

Discretion

We don’t believe, or present, our learners as being a “means to an end.” We don’t think of them primarily as a way to make money or get attention. We consider them to be conscious living beings with rich inner lives, and we're teaching learners in order to better understand who they are, to enrich their lives, and to improve our relationships with them. We never prioritize financial gain over their well-being.

Respect

We may be using the techniques of AAC, but we refer to what we’re doing as AIC (Augmentative Interspecies Communication), in an effort to be as respectful as possible to those in the AAC community.

Authenticity

We view sound buttons as tools for authentic communication. The words we record on these buttons are for concepts we believe our learners are capable of understanding and using for genuine expression.

Kindness

We never publicly disparage other trainers, members of the broader AIC community, or FluentPet. We address concerns directly, cordially, and constructively.

Awareness

We recognize animals’ exceptional communication abilities through body language and believe reading and respecting an animal’s body language is foundational to button teaching.

Enhancement

We see button teaching as augmentative rather than an alternative to standard training practices.