Learner isn’t interested after 4 months

A Button Buddy asks

My learner is a 2yr old mini dachshund. I've had her all her life. I've had the buttons since September and she hasn't really shown any interest in them. She has play, cuddle and game buttons.

When I model a button for her or prompt her to use a button she will either look away or when she goes to touch the button she misses and just scratches the mat. She's great with touch as we play touch alot but she can't seem to get the hang of the buttons.

She will bark for things or nudge me with her nose but still hasn't worked out that the buttons are hers to press. I feel very stuck. She also doesn't have that one thing she's crazy for so it's not like a walk or treat button would help.

Also she's reactive and I was wondering if a walk button would be good or bad. She knows the word walk and often looks bored if we don't go out for a walk so I'd like for her to be able to tell us that she wants a walk.

The starter words you’ve chosen are really solid but after this much time it might be a good idea to add a new one or two. Sometimes with a learner who is already a good communicator, which it sounds like she is, they just don’t see the point of the buttons. Also you’re not going to not cuddle or play with her if she doesn’t ask (Seriously. Do not do this.) so she just may not feel like the buttons are super interesting.

I think you should try some Target Practice since it sounds like she’s not quite sure how the buttons work. You don’t need to worry about her watching you when you model. Plenty of learners act like they aren’t paying attention, but I promise they are. You don’t need to try and pull her focus and make her sit and watch you when you’re at the board. c When you press the buttons does she seem to understand what they mean? Like does she go for the toys if you model “Play”? If so you’re actually past the first milestone. It doesn’t seem like progress but it very much is. 

She’s got three words right now and I think, as long as you know she understands those words, that you’re on solid ground to add two to four more right now. 

I also think you should consider a treat button. Food is a huuuuuge motivator. Bertie was/is not a super food motivated dog, it’s a struggle sometimes to get him to eat, but “hungry” was still his first word. I don’t think Walk is necessarily a bad word to add either. We super recommend R+ or Calm Canine Academy for advice about working with reactive dogs. If you need to walk her at specific times or in specific places to minimize exposure to her triggers and it’s not a situation where you can just take her out at any time of day then hold off on Walk for now. But I think it might be helpful for you to add a word or two that are a bit more outside the box. 

She’s half outside the box already.

Sometimes it’s helpful to re frame the question. Instead of “what might my learner want to ask for” try thinking “what might my learner want to talk about?” Your learner is already good at asking for stuff and knows how to get what she wants. That’s great! Instead think about stuff that’s harder for her to communicate. If her reactivity is around people or other dogs, maybe she’d want to alert you to a Stranger, or Happy/Concerned (with feelings it’s important to give them positive words as well as negative). She might like to tell you about Sounds or Smells she encounters. Being a doxie I’m guessing she’s on high alert for critters, which could be another use of Stranger, but it could also be Cat or Bird. Maybe sometimes on walks you guys take a hiking trail and other times you go to the park and maybe she’d like to choose which.