I Don't NEED Words!

Canine communication really is a wonderful thing. When you spend lots of time with your dog (MT and I are together 24/7 every day but Mondays when I run errands and see doctors.), if you have the most basic of observation skills, you begin to understand what your pup is "saying." 

It's no secret that I've been frustrated with Maizy True's progress using her AAC device. We do have amazing moments with it. I gave her "yes / no" buttons last Saturday and was modeling. "Coffee / no," "Water / yes." I got the bright idea to model with her toy. I picked it up and was teasing Maizy and saying "play / yes." Then I laid the toy down and said "play / no." 

She seemed interested, taking it all in. I got more animated, tickling her with her toy as I pressed "play / yes." Then, I threw the toy down, pressed "play / no" and walked toward the kitchen. 

While my back was turned, she pressed, "hike / yes!" I begged nooooo. Hike later. Too hot. But, she was up and out the door! So we took the hottest hike ever and I nearly died all because I wanted to reward her for using a brand new button minutes after getting it!

The other day, I had to call my cable company. It's one of those frustrating robo "press this / press that / confirm your account / I'm sorry I didn't get that" situations. (I seriously think every CEO should have to attempt to reach her company's customer service on a monthly basis as part of her job!) I usually end up screaming into the phone. Maizy often moves far away from me as soon as she realizes I'm on the phone with a recording. She jumped off the sofa. I thought she was going to get in her bed. But she walked over her board, pausing on her bed and with her BACK FOOT, pressed "outside" and stood by the door. Our first back foot press!!! 

But it was no button press at all that astounded me today! We had slept late and it was almost time for her normal breakfast. I keep trying to find ways to give her choices in hopes she will interact with me on the board more. So, I asked "Maizy / eat" now or "Maizy / hike" now? I waited. I could see her thinking... She turned and walked to the closet where her neighborhood walking tack is stored and looked at the door! She was very clearly telling me she wanted to stick with her usual routine of exercise first / eat after...even if breakfast would be late! 

It's a good reminder to communicate in whatever form it comes in!

She SPEAKS!!!

 Well, this isn't the first time Maizy True spoke... but it IS the first time on camera!!! Yes, I was bribing her with brisket!!! 

She has made a 2 word request on Saturday...not on camera, but I just about died! I'm so proud of her! Many dogs take months to begin interacting and I know she is applying meaning to the buttons. 

My house is NOT camera ready ya'll!! But that's another issue! I'm loving this journey with her! 

But there is so much to do to PREPARE for this little talking dog experiment! Things I never thought of!  You really need to do some data tracking. Many people write things down but Maizy currently has 16 responses that I've bothered to record. It's a good idea to keep track this way...it's searchable. It's easier to look for patterns such as time of day or frequent words when they have a larger vocabulary. One of the dogs from the many boards I follow actually kept talking about "pee" and a day later said "pee ouch".... had a UTI!!  So seeing the pattern is important. 

On a side note, the Fluent Pet bulletin board page TheyCanTalk.org has many of the getting started resources if you are interested. It was there I learned how to create the form that fills in her data tracking. I had used forms to assess students when I was teaching online early in the pandemic so it was a pretty easy jump for me. Maizy's form looks like this:

I can pull it up on my phone and I can also edit that spreadsheet if I think of something later...or make meaning of what she was trying to say with her limited 5 word vocabulary!  

Then there is button placement planning. The "old timers" have really scared the heck out of me. All of the ones I follow have had to move the buttons for some reason or another... realizing one button is used most often with a word that's waaaayyy over there is a frequent complaint. And when the buttons get moved... the dogs regress and stop using them for a while! Think about it: HOW would you feel if you got up and someone decided the S on your keyboard needs to be by the T? And the A would work better by the F? It would befuddle you! And dogs have a shutting down reaction to this. 

While I've found many of the circular layouts on TheyCanTalk.org helpful... I'm a spreadsheet girl. So I made a simply Excel sheet with blocks of six .... six words fit on a soundboard... and grouped by theme.
This is my most current board plan and...it changes daily.

And then, if you want to share this... and I've never wanted to share anything MORE... there's all the social media BS to deal with. UGH!

Target Training with Maizy True

 Well, the buttons have arrived! I gave her one to start: OUTSIDE. A few days later, I added "water" and "eat." I added two tiles. I'm working on tile layout and design. So many of the talking dogs I admire have had a total regression when a pawrent had to move the buttons around. 

 Maizy True has sniffed around them but nothing so far. It occurred to me that she doesn't know the meaning of "touch" so we are working on target training: 

In the meantime, I'm making spreadsheets and planning for future buttons. Just wish there was some indication she will engage with it. I have bells on both outside doors and she does ring those when we she wants out. 

In the mean time, I'm modeling, modeling, modeling...constantly! I announce my exit of the house and make a big deal out of both of us drinking water and eating. "Mom EAT now. Maizy EAT later. I've gone back into "total teacher mode," over-enunciating every thing I say to her. I make a point of talking to her in AAC speak, instead of our usual conversational tone. "Wanna go for a walk?" is now "Want WALK now, Hmmmm????" 

It's a journey, ya'll!

Fluent Pet Unboxing! The Buttons Are Here!

 So in the last few years I have become OBSESSED with the talking dogs who use AAC devices to communicate. If you ever doubted dogs are sentient beings, you would most certainly change your mind when you follow some these pups. I've seen dogs "talk" about their day, express likes and dislikes. One of the pup recently informed their "mom" of a UTI! It's utterly fascinating.   

And as Maizy True is so freaking smart and I love her so darn much, I really would like to know what she has to say! So we are all in. Here is the unboxing vid and we have recorded a "outside" button and it's by the back door. 

I will say, the "Chinese rubber" smell is UNBEARABLE to someone with my allergies so all the pads / button holders are detoxing and off-gassing on the back porch! Anyone know how long it takes for the odor to dissipate? 

Here we go ya'll!