A TTB collaboration. Two teachers of Great Danes talk about things to consider when teaching the buttons to a really big dog.

Everything you need to think about when you are considering whether to remove a button.

Modelling up will help your learner to understand the meaning of buttons, and encourage multi-button presses. Here’s how you do it.

How to encourage your learner to press their sound buttons. Whether you’ve had talking buttons for a while but haven’t had that first independent press yet or want to set yourself up for success, here’s what you need to know.

How to choose the first words you’ll record on your sound buttons, and what makes a great starter word.

Everything you need to know about how to interact appropriately with your learner when you’re using the buttons - and how you might accidentally make getting independent presses harder.

The common causes of learners stopping using their buttons, and how to help them get talking again.

This article discusses different ways learners can interact with buttons. We also cover how to respond to the more unusual ones!

Responding correctly to accidental and experimental presses is crucial to help your learner progress. Here’s how you respond to them.

Here we answer some common questions about target practice, and how to get yourself back on track if you’re struggling

Modelling is the foundation of button communication - here’s everything you need to know

If your learner seems to struggle with accuracy or activating the buttons, use target practice to help them press accurately and confidently.

Learner led communication is the mindset we want you to be in when you’re teaching and using communication buttons. How and when your learner chooses to use their buttons to talk to you should be entirely their choice.

This is a technique to try if your learner is spamming buttons or pressing them so often you can’t reasonably give them their favourite thing every time!

Food words get a lot of bad press in the button community. We’re going to discuss their pros and cons here and (spoiler alert!) talk about why you should probably add one.

One of the most common concerns we hear from people who are interested in trying buttons is that they think their dog or cat isn’t smart enough to learn how to use them. We can just tell you they are, but we know that’s not enough to help you make the decision, so here’s how we want you to think about this.

Reflections on teaching a very young puppy to use communication buttons, as well as having talked to and helped dozens of teachers with new learners in their homes in their first weeks and months of button teaching.

Spamming is one of the things people are most concerned about before they begin teaching, and it’s a phase that a lot of learners go through at some point. Don’t panic.

Teach your dog to communicate without buttons by using your hands to offer choices