If you’ve ever been concerned that you’re not able to meet your pup’s needs a lot of the time, you may have wished that you could almost get inside their brain.
As pet owners, we want to make our dogs happy however possible and one area that we sometimes lack is communication. Of course, we cannot actually “talk” to our dogs. But, Fluent Pet gets us as close as we can by allowing your dog to press buttons to tell you what they want.
If you’ve considered Fluent Pet or you even have your “get started” kit on the way, you might wonder what words are the best to start with. We know you’re likely eager to get your dog talking to you as soon as possible so this quick guide should help you best understand what words to choose first and why.
The Earlier the Better
FIrst things first, if you’ve already got your dog in the habit of doing things a certain way, acclimating them to something like Fluent Pet may be a bit more difficult than you think.
If possible, you want to get your pup started as soon as possible with learning the buttons to help them develop these habits rather than ones that they’ll end up having to break.
Pick Familiar Words
You want to start teaching your dog Fluent Pet by using words they’re already familiar with. Words like outside, help, play, water, and now will be familiar to your dog and it’ll help with an easier transition. This means The right words to start out with will vary from pet to pet, depending on the words they already know.
Avoid Trigger Words
Certain words get our dogs overly excited and can become too stimulating. This can lead them to press it over and over until they get what they want. If they don’t get what they want, they can become frustrated and start to feel like the buttons aren’t working in their favor.
Words like treat, eat, and car could be examples of these types of words for many dogs. These words sometimes send our dogs into a frenzy of excitement so you’ll want to save them for when they’re a little more experienced.
Start With One Word
The best strategy is to start with a single word. A lot of pet parents use “outside” as the first word because it’s something that our dogs often have to tell us when it’s time.
By limiting to one word you’re also reinforcing that the buttons get them what they want so once you add a new word that they’re familiar with, it will be easier for them to associate that with something they want as well.
Talk To Them Constantly
We all talk to our dogs probably more than we’d like to admit but when you’re teaching them to talk with Fluent Pet, there is no such thing as too much communication.
Remember, you’re recording these buttons with your own voice and to better familiarize them with the phrases, you should say the words exactly as you’ve recorded them as much as possible.
If you use the word “outside” to indicate a trip to the bathroom, don’t start saying “potty” or “pee” or anything like that. Use the same word as it sounds on the button over and over and they’ll be sure to get it.
Be Patient
The key is to be patient with your dog and understand that everybody, including humans, learn at different paces. Even if you think you have a “smart” dog or a brilliant breed, you never know how they’ll respond to something like this because they’re not necessarily used to communicating this way.
Final Thoughts
Fluent Pet sells various testing kits and trial options to allow you to test out one button and see if it works for you and your pup. They also have free guides to help you learn just like the one you’ve just read. Good luck!
