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Your Dog Can Talk: A Step-By-Step Guide to Button Training
A definitive guide and workbook for training your dog to talk using button communication, from the New York Times bestselling author of How Stella Learned to Talk.
It’s a question that has crossed every dog owner's What would it be like to know what my dog is thinking? In Teach Your Dog to Talk, speech pathologist and New York Times bestselling author Christina Hunger helps dog owners teach their pets to speak by using button communication, a method that allows dogs to give voice to their daily thoughts, requests, and feelings by pawing buttons that activate prerecorded words.
For the first time in history, we have a window into our dogs’ minds and can hear firsthand how they’re experiencing the environment we share with them. When we know exactly what our pets need and are thinking about, we can better care for them, strengthen our bond, and create a relationship grounded in mutual respect and communication.
Teach Your Dog to Talk is an indispensable resource for long-time dog owners, new puppy parents, and everyone in between. Using the methods she developed with her own dog, Stella, Hunger shows readers how to create an easy-to-implement speech training plan for their beloved pups. Filled with simple explanations, realistic goals for owners, and step-by-step instructions, as well as helpful anecdotes from Hunger’s own experiences working with thousands of dogs, Teach Your Dog to Talk makes button communication more understandable and accessible than ever before.
It’s a question that has crossed every dog owner's What would it be like to know what my dog is thinking? In Teach Your Dog to Talk, speech pathologist and New York Times bestselling author Christina Hunger helps dog owners teach their pets to speak by using button communication, a method that allows dogs to give voice to their daily thoughts, requests, and feelings by pawing buttons that activate prerecorded words.
For the first time in history, we have a window into our dogs’ minds and can hear firsthand how they’re experiencing the environment we share with them. When we know exactly what our pets need and are thinking about, we can better care for them, strengthen our bond, and create a relationship grounded in mutual respect and communication.
Teach Your Dog to Talk is an indispensable resource for long-time dog owners, new puppy parents, and everyone in between. Using the methods she developed with her own dog, Stella, Hunger shows readers how to create an easy-to-implement speech training plan for their beloved pups. Filled with simple explanations, realistic goals for owners, and step-by-step instructions, as well as helpful anecdotes from Hunger’s own experiences working with thousands of dogs, Teach Your Dog to Talk makes button communication more understandable and accessible than ever before.
- GenresNonfictionDogs
192 pages, Paperback
Published August 12, 2025
17 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 12, 2025
Paar weken verder, toch even de update: we zijn een leesclub begonnen met Willem. Zijn knoppenaanbod is onlangs aangevuld met de belangrijkste literaire termen, we merkten dat hij aan de knoppen "eten!!!", "lopen?" en "mag ik iets uit de Knabbelkast™" niet genoeg had om zich te uiten over de klassieker "Nooit meer blaffen" van W.A.F. Herdermans.
Alle gekheid op een (kauw)stokje: dit werkt. Het maakt hem zo blij als hij kan zeggen wat hij wil, ipv oeverloos piepen en klieren. We merken allebei dat dit veel sneller gaat, dus een blijere, niet-gefrustreerde hond!
Alle gekheid op een (kauw)stokje: dit werkt. Het maakt hem zo blij als hij kan zeggen wat hij wil, ipv oeverloos piepen en klieren. We merken allebei dat dit veel sneller gaat, dus een blijere, niet-gefrustreerde hond!
July 15, 2025
As a speech-language pathologist talking dog mom myself, I was SO happy to receive an eARC of Your Dog Can Talk from NetGalley. I have been following Christina and Stella for quite some time now and admire them both dearly. Thank you for helping me build my relationship with my K-9 by giving her the gift of communication.
Your Dog Can Talk provides step by step instructions and explanations for how to start the button talking journey with your furiend. It is laid out chronologically based on the progression of your pet's communicative skills. Christina does an excellent job using written and visual examples of how to implement these strategies to maximize success.
Thank you Christina forgiving (wo)man's best friend a voice!
•The limits of my language mean the limits of my world." - Ludwig Wittgenstein
Your Dog Can Talk provides step by step instructions and explanations for how to start the button talking journey with your furiend. It is laid out chronologically based on the progression of your pet's communicative skills. Christina does an excellent job using written and visual examples of how to implement these strategies to maximize success.
Thank you Christina forgiving (wo)man's best friend a voice!
•The limits of my language mean the limits of my world." - Ludwig Wittgenstein
May 8, 2025
Oh, how I wish I had this book in 2018.
Honestly, the button phenomena that has taken over the dog world these days has always been of heavy interest to me. My dog, a Border Collie with a ridiculously high level of intelligence, has always been exceptional in communication. Even without buttons, his ability to recognize what he needs to do or vocalize in order to tell us what he wants or needs has always amazed us and I cannot help thinking that we truly failed him in some ways by not getting buttons for him sooner. But the thing is, I never had a genuine understanding of where to start and how to help him with this process.
Christina Hunger’s Your Dog Can Talk feels like the diamond in the rough that I’ve been searching for. And I say this all knowing that it’s incredibly bittersweet for me, since Mickey at six years old was diagnosed with a brain tumor and probably would not be here today if we hadn’t stepped in to get him treatment. And I cannot help feeling that he has been so cheated; what if he’d had the ability to communicate so much more with us for his short life? It feels horrifyingly depressing to know that I’ve gotten buttons to him in an intentional manner so late in the game.
But the truth is that it took a matter of hours setting up the buttons with words Mickey already knows for him to get the hang of things and begin communicating with me. He’s got eight buttons right now and while he very much skips using bedtime and potty (he prefers to push outside and play), he took to this extremely quickly even with the change that his tumor has made in his brain. It feels sucky for me that I have to acknowledge that what I’m learning here, both from this book and from Mickey, himself, will likely be utilized much more with any dog we have in the future.
Mickey will be seven this month and I’ve already purchased more buttons for him. Likely, I will get a physical copy of Christina’s dog button handbook when it officially comes out. As an educator who works very heavily with students who have diagnoses and am at least tangentially connected to the world of speech language pathology, it was thoroughly unsurprising to me that this brilliance was discovered by someone working in that field. This is truly an exceptional gift for dog lovers and dog parents everywhere and I’m exceedingly grateful that, even though Mickey is accessing this intentional button knowledge at a late stage, he’ll have the time to communicate with us in a manner that is, hopefully, incredibly rewarding to him.
Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, Christina.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly, the button phenomena that has taken over the dog world these days has always been of heavy interest to me. My dog, a Border Collie with a ridiculously high level of intelligence, has always been exceptional in communication. Even without buttons, his ability to recognize what he needs to do or vocalize in order to tell us what he wants or needs has always amazed us and I cannot help thinking that we truly failed him in some ways by not getting buttons for him sooner. But the thing is, I never had a genuine understanding of where to start and how to help him with this process.
Christina Hunger’s Your Dog Can Talk feels like the diamond in the rough that I’ve been searching for. And I say this all knowing that it’s incredibly bittersweet for me, since Mickey at six years old was diagnosed with a brain tumor and probably would not be here today if we hadn’t stepped in to get him treatment. And I cannot help feeling that he has been so cheated; what if he’d had the ability to communicate so much more with us for his short life? It feels horrifyingly depressing to know that I’ve gotten buttons to him in an intentional manner so late in the game.
But the truth is that it took a matter of hours setting up the buttons with words Mickey already knows for him to get the hang of things and begin communicating with me. He’s got eight buttons right now and while he very much skips using bedtime and potty (he prefers to push outside and play), he took to this extremely quickly even with the change that his tumor has made in his brain. It feels sucky for me that I have to acknowledge that what I’m learning here, both from this book and from Mickey, himself, will likely be utilized much more with any dog we have in the future.
Mickey will be seven this month and I’ve already purchased more buttons for him. Likely, I will get a physical copy of Christina’s dog button handbook when it officially comes out. As an educator who works very heavily with students who have diagnoses and am at least tangentially connected to the world of speech language pathology, it was thoroughly unsurprising to me that this brilliance was discovered by someone working in that field. This is truly an exceptional gift for dog lovers and dog parents everywhere and I’m exceedingly grateful that, even though Mickey is accessing this intentional button knowledge at a late stage, he’ll have the time to communicate with us in a manner that is, hopefully, incredibly rewarding to him.
Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, Christina.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 26, 2025
My dog Scooby and I first saw Christina and Stella on YouTube shorts and watched in amazement. Scooby is a few years old and loves watching TV with me. He enjoys dog shows and animated movies and we watch animal documentaries together. I've always thought of Scooby as more than our family pet and call myself his dog mom.
Seeing Stella use her buttons is quite inspiring. I remember saying to Scooby I wish we had buttons to talk with. Over the years Scooby has learned to go to our front door when he needs to go potty and he scratches the bottom of his water dish if it's empty to signal that he needs it refilled. After looking more into Stella and her ability to talk using her buttons I decided to buy some buttons for Scooby. I then realized I had no clue how to start introducing buttons or what words to start with. So I was so grateful and excited when I found this workbook.
Christina is a licensed speech pathologist who not only works at home with Stella but also works with children in a clinical setting. I trust her advice and teaching tips in this workbook because I've seen her work with Stella.
My husband and I started teaching Scooby with four buttons to start. We followed the tips in this workbook and can honestly say Scooby is using one of his four buttons to say the word "ball". It didn't happen overnight and it took consistency. I have highlighted and wrote down so much of Christina's advice from this book. We're hopeful that over time Scooby will use more buttons. We couldn't have got this far without this book and we're looking forward to being able to use more of the intermediate level skills one day. Christina gave us the tools and confidence to start this journey and we're so grateful.
I received this book complimentary through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Seeing Stella use her buttons is quite inspiring. I remember saying to Scooby I wish we had buttons to talk with. Over the years Scooby has learned to go to our front door when he needs to go potty and he scratches the bottom of his water dish if it's empty to signal that he needs it refilled. After looking more into Stella and her ability to talk using her buttons I decided to buy some buttons for Scooby. I then realized I had no clue how to start introducing buttons or what words to start with. So I was so grateful and excited when I found this workbook.
Christina is a licensed speech pathologist who not only works at home with Stella but also works with children in a clinical setting. I trust her advice and teaching tips in this workbook because I've seen her work with Stella.
My husband and I started teaching Scooby with four buttons to start. We followed the tips in this workbook and can honestly say Scooby is using one of his four buttons to say the word "ball". It didn't happen overnight and it took consistency. I have highlighted and wrote down so much of Christina's advice from this book. We're hopeful that over time Scooby will use more buttons. We couldn't have got this far without this book and we're looking forward to being able to use more of the intermediate level skills one day. Christina gave us the tools and confidence to start this journey and we're so grateful.
I received this book complimentary through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
November 9, 2025
Thanks to Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press for this eARC.
Your Dog Can Talk is a practical, engaging, and surprisingly emotional guide that empowers dog owners to unlock a new dimension of communication with their pets. Christina Hunger blends speech pathology with canine behavior to create a method that’s both scientifically grounded and deeply intuitive.
At its core, this book is about connection. Hunger, a speech-language pathologist and the creator of the Hunger for Words movement, introduces readers to button training—a system where dogs learn to press sound-emitting buttons to express needs, emotions, and observations. Inspired by her work with her dog Stella, Hunger breaks down the process into clear, manageable steps that prioritize patience, consistency, and responsiveness.
The structure of the book is refreshingly accessible. It’s divided into progressive stages, from selecting your first buttons to expanding your dog’s vocabulary and interpreting multi-button phrases. Each chapter includes practical exercises, troubleshooting tips, and real-life examples that illustrate both the challenges and breakthroughs of the training journey. Hunger’s tone is encouraging and empathetic, acknowledging that every dog learns differently and that setbacks are part of the process.
What sets Your Dog Can Talk apart is its emphasis on emotional intelligence. Hunger doesn’t treat dogs as machines to be programmed but as sentient beings with unique personalities and perspectives. She encourages owners to listen—not just to the buttons, but to the context, body language, and emotional cues that shape communication. This holistic approach makes the book feel less like a manual and more like a dialogue between species.
The book also explores the ethical implications of giving dogs a voice. Hunger invites readers to consider how communication changes the human-animal bond, and what responsibilities come with understanding a pet’s inner world. It’s a subtle but powerful reminder that language is not just about control—it’s about empathy.
Visually, the book is well-designed, with diagrams, button placement suggestions, and vocabulary lists that make implementation easier. Whether you’re starting with one button or building a full communication board, the guide adapts to your pace and your dog’s temperament.
For dog owners curious about deepening their relationship with their pets, Your Dog Can Talk offers more than a training method—it offers a philosophy of connection. It’s ideal for those who value emotional insight, behavioral science, and the joy of discovering what their dog has been waiting to say.
I have these buttons, and this book is a delightful guide.
Your Dog Can Talk is a practical, engaging, and surprisingly emotional guide that empowers dog owners to unlock a new dimension of communication with their pets. Christina Hunger blends speech pathology with canine behavior to create a method that’s both scientifically grounded and deeply intuitive.
At its core, this book is about connection. Hunger, a speech-language pathologist and the creator of the Hunger for Words movement, introduces readers to button training—a system where dogs learn to press sound-emitting buttons to express needs, emotions, and observations. Inspired by her work with her dog Stella, Hunger breaks down the process into clear, manageable steps that prioritize patience, consistency, and responsiveness.
The structure of the book is refreshingly accessible. It’s divided into progressive stages, from selecting your first buttons to expanding your dog’s vocabulary and interpreting multi-button phrases. Each chapter includes practical exercises, troubleshooting tips, and real-life examples that illustrate both the challenges and breakthroughs of the training journey. Hunger’s tone is encouraging and empathetic, acknowledging that every dog learns differently and that setbacks are part of the process.
What sets Your Dog Can Talk apart is its emphasis on emotional intelligence. Hunger doesn’t treat dogs as machines to be programmed but as sentient beings with unique personalities and perspectives. She encourages owners to listen—not just to the buttons, but to the context, body language, and emotional cues that shape communication. This holistic approach makes the book feel less like a manual and more like a dialogue between species.
The book also explores the ethical implications of giving dogs a voice. Hunger invites readers to consider how communication changes the human-animal bond, and what responsibilities come with understanding a pet’s inner world. It’s a subtle but powerful reminder that language is not just about control—it’s about empathy.
Visually, the book is well-designed, with diagrams, button placement suggestions, and vocabulary lists that make implementation easier. Whether you’re starting with one button or building a full communication board, the guide adapts to your pace and your dog’s temperament.
For dog owners curious about deepening their relationship with their pets, Your Dog Can Talk offers more than a training method—it offers a philosophy of connection. It’s ideal for those who value emotional insight, behavioral science, and the joy of discovering what their dog has been waiting to say.
I have these buttons, and this book is a delightful guide.
August 4, 2025
Your Dog Can Talk is comprehensive guide to teaching your dog how to use buttons. From starting the process to how to progress to more advanced uses of buttons. From puppy age to older dogs. This book takes a systematic approach that is easy to refer back to thanks to the different chapters throughout. Hunger describes clear steps to master the method they have developed based on their work as a speech therapist.
Something I truly appreciate about Your Dog Can Talk is the interactivity. There are exercises throughout that help you record your thoughts about the whole process. I love the idea of keeping your focus by writing down intentions and setting goals at the start of the process. Plus keeping track of all the progress you're making while teaching your dog. Hunger makes it clear up front that this whole process will take a considerable amount of time and effort. But always emphasizes the benefits of being able to truly communicate with your dog.
Your Dog Can Talk is the ultimate tool to teach your dog how to communicate with you (and others) using buttons. The step-by-step approach, clear division of chapters, troubleshooting guides and interactive exercises throughout make this guide comprehensive, approachable and straightforward to implement. Don't hesitate to pick this book up if you want to deepen the bond with your dog(s).
Thank you Christina Hunger and Ten Speed Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Something I truly appreciate about Your Dog Can Talk is the interactivity. There are exercises throughout that help you record your thoughts about the whole process. I love the idea of keeping your focus by writing down intentions and setting goals at the start of the process. Plus keeping track of all the progress you're making while teaching your dog. Hunger makes it clear up front that this whole process will take a considerable amount of time and effort. But always emphasizes the benefits of being able to truly communicate with your dog.
Your Dog Can Talk is the ultimate tool to teach your dog how to communicate with you (and others) using buttons. The step-by-step approach, clear division of chapters, troubleshooting guides and interactive exercises throughout make this guide comprehensive, approachable and straightforward to implement. Don't hesitate to pick this book up if you want to deepen the bond with your dog(s).
Thank you Christina Hunger and Ten Speed Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
August 12, 2025
Wow! Christina delivers clear, thorough guidance in a way that feels digestible and never overwhelming. She truly thought of everything — from set-up, vocabulary selection, and teaching/modeling, to troubleshooting — and presents it in an organized, intuitive format (special shout-out to the table of contents and glossary). The charts and charming illustrations not only make the book more engaging but also boost clarity and readability.
What sets this guide apart is how Christina not only tells readers what to do, but walks them through how to do it in a way that’s tailored to their own dog’s tendencies and interests. It prompts readers to reflect on their dog in ways they likely haven’t before, helping them craft a personalized plan for success.
As a fellow speech-language pathologist, I was delighted by how skillfully she explains strategies for fostering language development and use in dogs. Honestly, I think any parent concerned about a child’s (human or pet) language growth would benefit from her methods — these are tried-and-true techniques that extend far beyond button use.
If there were ever doubts, this guide confirms that Christina knows exactly what she’s talking about when it comes to authentic language development and applying it to animals — not just creating the illusion of communication for buzz. The fact that she conveys her expertise in a way that’s accessible to non-SLPs, without jargon or assumptions, yet still rich in detail and nuance, is truly impressive. Bravo, Christina!
What sets this guide apart is how Christina not only tells readers what to do, but walks them through how to do it in a way that’s tailored to their own dog’s tendencies and interests. It prompts readers to reflect on their dog in ways they likely haven’t before, helping them craft a personalized plan for success.
As a fellow speech-language pathologist, I was delighted by how skillfully she explains strategies for fostering language development and use in dogs. Honestly, I think any parent concerned about a child’s (human or pet) language growth would benefit from her methods — these are tried-and-true techniques that extend far beyond button use.
If there were ever doubts, this guide confirms that Christina knows exactly what she’s talking about when it comes to authentic language development and applying it to animals — not just creating the illusion of communication for buzz. The fact that she conveys her expertise in a way that’s accessible to non-SLPs, without jargon or assumptions, yet still rich in detail and nuance, is truly impressive. Bravo, Christina!
May 24, 2025
I wish I had this years ago! I loved how Christina shared a bit of how this idea came to her for Stella, her background in speech pathology and even things she's learned that has helped in both areas. This was easy to understand and broke things down in a way that makes it a lot less intimidating! I loved that parts included workbook style content but still offered examples to help you along the way. This takes you from complete beginner to advanced but also gives you several options for everything from how to set up your buttons to what words to start with.
I got a few button mats a few years ago to try to teach my dog that has since passed away how to communicate with the buttons but I felt like I was thrown into the ocean and never got anywhere with them. There is a lot of info out there but I never felt like it was easy to find something that was like "okay, let's start here..now go here"..and beyond. This also helps clear up a lot of the questions and mistakes you might be prone to make, so you can avoid making them before you even begin.
While I don't have a dog that I can start this with right now, I am looking forward to having this knowledge for the little paws that come next. I feel like I'm better prepared to dive in with buttons!
Big thanks to Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for the eARC! This will be published on August 12, 2025!
I got a few button mats a few years ago to try to teach my dog that has since passed away how to communicate with the buttons but I felt like I was thrown into the ocean and never got anywhere with them. There is a lot of info out there but I never felt like it was easy to find something that was like "okay, let's start here..now go here"..and beyond. This also helps clear up a lot of the questions and mistakes you might be prone to make, so you can avoid making them before you even begin.
While I don't have a dog that I can start this with right now, I am looking forward to having this knowledge for the little paws that come next. I feel like I'm better prepared to dive in with buttons!
Big thanks to Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for the eARC! This will be published on August 12, 2025!
July 14, 2025
I absolutely loved this. It's super easy to read, informative and interactive. It's written so that it' easy to understand. I love the activities throughout, especially to help you plan out your words, and how to review your progress.
The book is also broken into parts- beginner, intermediate, advanced.
I've been trying to teach my dog with little success but after this, I'm feeling more motivated again and more confident in moving forward. I'll definitely be buying myself this book in print to have on hand for when we progress on this journey.
I also really love the cartoon pictures throughout.
The stories of Stella were a treat as well as the process behind how this works- particularly in regards to speech development in babies and children, thanks to Christina's speech therapy background.
The book is also broken into parts- beginner, intermediate, advanced.
I've been trying to teach my dog with little success but after this, I'm feeling more motivated again and more confident in moving forward. I'll definitely be buying myself this book in print to have on hand for when we progress on this journey.
I also really love the cartoon pictures throughout.
The stories of Stella were a treat as well as the process behind how this works- particularly in regards to speech development in babies and children, thanks to Christina's speech therapy background.
June 24, 2025
Your Dog Can Talk is an approachable and practical guide for anyone curious about teaching their dog to use language buttons—a trend I’ve seen all over TikTok and always wondered about. The book breaks things down clearly, offering step-by-step instructions and lots of thoughtful advice for troubleshooting along the way. Every question I had was eventually answered, and I appreciated how realistic and encouraging the tone was throughout.
I do wish I’d had this book when my own dog was still here—I would’ve loved exploring this kind of communication with him.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
I do wish I’d had this book when my own dog was still here—I would’ve loved exploring this kind of communication with him.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
August 13, 2025
I picked this book up because I’m a speech-language pathologist and I’ve been fascinated by Stella’s videos on instagram. Holy moly I wish she wrote a book like this to give to my clients’ families! Everything is broken done in easily digestible steps to take towards your dog’s communication journey. It’s split into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels and covers all the specific questions about your unique dog. There is even a part on deaf & blind dogs! This is a great resource if you want to teach your dog to talk and the perfect gift to give someone who loves their dog and wants to teach them to communicate!
May 8, 2025
I loved this book! It gave detailed information, but in an approachable, conversational manner. I've seen articles and posts, but this takes the subject beyond that.
We have a dog training business, and I'll recommend this to our clients.
If this is something you've thought of, get this. Even if you haven't, get it...it's an interesting topic.
Thank you to Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
#NetGalley #TenSpeedPress #ChristinaHunger #YourDogCanTalk
We have a dog training business, and I'll recommend this to our clients.
If this is something you've thought of, get this. Even if you haven't, get it...it's an interesting topic.
Thank you to Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
#NetGalley #TenSpeedPress #ChristinaHunger #YourDogCanTalk
August 13, 2025
This book was such an easy read. Hunger broke down the steps to teaching a dog to talk that would make anyone successful. I especially liked the tie-ins to human speech development as it grounded my learning in a concept I am somewhat familiar with! I can’t wait to teach my dog some more words!!!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews