If you’re a regular DogTime reader, you may recall I am a huge fan of Bunny, the “talking” dog, and her trainer-mom, Alexis Devine, from when I had the opportunity to interview them.
A bit of background for those who don’t know much about Bunny: Bunny is an almost two-year-old Sheepadoodle who “talks” with her mom using a series of pre-recorded buttons, a system of AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) that’s usually used by humans.
Alexis has always been gracious about her fame, citing her methods as based on that of Christina Hunger. Christina began the whole button-talk movement with her own dog, Stella.
Imagine my fangirl glee when I learned:
- 1. Christina Hunger was publishing a book of stories with Stella and training tips for your own dog;
- 2. Christina and Alexis would be having a live, online chat about animal cognition and communication to debut the book;
- 3. I could pre-order the book and be part of it all.
As you might have imagined — my glee amount was immeasurable!
First Things First, Picking The Best Version Of The Book
As amazing as the book is, in and of itself, there are also a few perks to consider!
I lucked out in hearing about the book ahead of time since I follow both Christina/Stella and Alexis/Bunny on Instagram — highly recommended! So I was able to get some pre-order perks.
Christina has said many times in her Instagram stories that she’s blown away by the success of the book and the interest of the world in learning about human-to-animal communication.
Back before the book became a bestseller, Christina promoted an incentive for pre-ordering the book. If you did, you’d receive a special instructional video on how to implement the button system for your dog.
I was already planning to buy the book, but this extra perk got me even more excited. I started trying the button method with Leia. But so far, she has only shown interest in the button and not done anything with it. I’m sure this is more to do with me than with her, so I’m very appreciative of the extra training for me!
Then, there was the dilemma of which version to buy! Besides the “normal” version, you can also buy the Barnes & Noble-exclusive edition, with extra stories and conversations with Stella, or an autographed version from many independent bookstores around the nation.
Interestingly, Barnes & Noble also seems to have a supply of the best of both worlds — signed special editions right now. Diesel, the original main supplier of the autographed regular versions, appears to have sold out.
These independent bookstores partnered to assist hosting this event on Crowdcast. They would be the most likely to have signed versions. You may want to call to confirm before you order through their online shops:
- Brookline Booksmith (Brookline, MA)
- Bookbug (Kalamazoo, MI)
- Browseabout Shops, Inc (Rehoboth Beach, DE)
- Scrawl Books (Reston, VA)
- The Novel Neighbor (St. Louis, MO)
- Literati Bookstore (Ann Arbor, MI)
- Book Passage (Corte Madera, CA)
- Towne Center Books (Pleasanton, CA)
- Writer’s Block Bookstore (Maitland, FL)
Ultimately, although I love independent bookshops, I decided to go with the special edition from Barnes & Noble, which I also love, to get the extra content.
On To The Main Event!
Although I love in-person author events, it was wonderful to be able to see this event, no matter where we were, since their fans are all over the world. Over 1,400 people tuned in for the live event!
Book launches are looking different these days, in the age of the pandemic and post-pandemic, and I think the added accessibility many events have adapted due to the times is a really wonderful move in general.
It’s always fascinating to watch Bunny and Stella on their moms’ Instagram videos. But it was a whole different experience to hear a long, analytical conversation between their scientist moms.
I loved gleaming the extra insights and tips on enhancing conversation with your pet.
The analysis and foundation of the methodology reminded me a lot of my first introduction to animal cognitive science: Alex and Me, a book by Dr. Irene Pepperberg, who fundamentally changed the way the world sees animals, as fellow emotional, thinking beings.
For us animal lovers, it’s exciting to have scientific proof that animals are sentient beings, trying to communicate with us. It’s not just our biased theories!
I loved the interchange between Christina, a certified speech-language pathologist, and Alexis, an artist turned accidental scientist, which really highlighted the breadth of the field. It showed that anyone can develop a stronger communicative bond with their pet, and that it takes a whole array of specialties and personalities to develop this study.
Indeed, the study both women and their dogs are a part of is worldwide, including many different species. You, too, can participate with your pet, and you can sign up here.
Later on, Alexis uploaded the event to Bunny’s YouTube channel — yay! I’m very happy I can go back and watch this again. It was packed with valuable information!
Christina & Alexis Have Tips For Talking With Your Dog
Christina and Alexis shared a lot of wonderful tips and experiences that were helpful for us aspiring button communicators.
These were my favorites:
- The three most important factors in the process of teaching your pet to use the button system are patience, flexibility, and understanding.
- Try to understand all your pet’s communication, not just the AAC buttons. Why would your pet be motivated to communicate with you if you’re not paying attention?
- A foundation of trust and love is important before trying to build anything else.
- A deeper relationship with your pet is inevitable when you spend as much time with them as necessary for this process.
- In terms of parts of speech, focus more on words that get the best bang for their buck. For example, “eat” is more flexible than “food.”
- Travel seems to make both Stella and Bunny more creative in terms of speech. It’s just like how travel refreshes our human brains and helps us see things differently.
- Every time your dog is expressing themselves non-verbally, press the button, lightly tap it, or point to it, then wait at least 15 seconds. Really give your pet a chance. If they don’t press it after 30 seconds, re-model it, and then follow up with the action. However, don’t stress them out and keep trying for a very long period of time.
Christina Notices Dogs Use AAC In Some Of The Same Ways As Humans
Christina also shared some fascinating observations about dogs’ use of AAC versus humans and the way dog minds interpret language.
She’s passionate about both AAC use for humans, in terms of access to the world, and for animals, to allow them to grow and express themselves as much as possible.
These were some of my favorite statements from Christina:
- Big surprise: there were parallels between working with Stella and working with kids; lightbulb moments crossed over in both directions.
- “There’s so much more connection between humans and animals than we’re currently aware of. The similar paths of animals and humans using AAC is just one sign of that.”
- However, one big difference, between animals and humans for speech development with AAC is that it’s much quicker for dogs than humans. “Stella was starting to use words after only one month of seeing us use them, then soon after combined them — takes humans longer.”
- “I want people to know how important AAC is, and there are still a lot of humans who don’t have access to the type of technology they need to communicate functionally. The more awareness we have in the world that these devices exist, the more it will open up the field of AAC and the idea of giving everyone who needs the device, the opportunity to learn.”
- For people who would like to learn more about AAC, including acquiring it for a loved one, Christina recommends visiting ASHA’s (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) website for lots of great resources.
Get The Book & Start Talking To Your Dog!
I got much more out of this book launch than I expected! It was so generous of Christina and Alexis to share such great tips and insight, rather than just making this a marketing event.
I’ve loved watching Stella and Bunny’s adventures, and I can’t wait to read more about Stella’s experiences and relationship with Christina. I also can’t wait to add all this expertise into my button communication with Leia!
To purchase How Stella Learned to Talk, click here to see all the format and location options.
To purchase Christina Hunger’s start-up button kit with instructions, click here.
If you want to follow Christina Hunger and Stella on Instagram, visit their page.
Click here to see all the ways to follow Bunny’s adventures or purchase the button system she uses.
Have you tried talking to your dog with a button board like Christina and Stella? Would you like to learn more about how dogs can communicate with us? Let us know in the comments below!
