A Closer Relationship Through Positive Dog Training

While this kind of advanced training may be intimidating, most dogs should be able to accomplish it with consistency and patience. If you rush through it, your dog may not fully understand the meaning of the words or choose to use it to actively communicate of their own volition outside training. Once you have your buttons, begin with a word that has a high value to them- such as treats or walks- that they already have some understanding of and may want to request or communicate to you. Once the word is picked and recorded into the button, begin pushing the button every time you give them that object or do that activity. You don't want to force them to push the button themselves, for communication buttons you simply want them to see you push it and- over time- choose to begin pushing it themselves to indicate they want that thing or activity. Over time they'll begin to make the connection between the meaning of that word/button and once they choose to use it themselves, immediately praise them and then do the action or give them the object they have requested. Once they start to get the hang of one word, you can add more.

Your dog likely already knows the words to several tricks and maybe even actions, but by getting them in the rhythm of not just understanding the words you're saying to them but also being able to communicate those things back to you through verbal language, you'll soon be able to have "conversations" with them. It may take time, but we promise it will be so fascinating and rewarding to get to know your dog in a whole new way. If you want, you can use these tips to train them at home yourself, but this is an advanced level of training so if you would like the assistance of a professional dog trainer to get started, Elite-K9 is here to help!