Pug's Clever Way of Telling Mom He Misses Her Has People in Their Feelings
Have you ever wondered if your dogs love you? I mean, they do follow you around the house and whine when you're in another room, but do they really notice when you're gone? A viral video on TikTok has the heartbreaking answer.
Little Oski and his mama Alli love to use dog buttons to chat with each other — you know, those pressable plastic buttons that can train dogs to tell you their needs.
Oski tells his mama basically everything. When he's hungry, when he's done eating, when he wants a treat... That's the cool part. It's almost like your pets get to talk to you.
Related: 'Talking' Dog Tells New Baby Brother Her Name in the Cutest Way
Recently though, Oski's mama caught him trying to tell her something when she wasn't at home. And the footage she shared on January 11 was just the sweetest thing. It showed Oski walking over to one button specifically.
"Return," the voice command said. Oski then looked out at the empty living room. Nope, Mom wasn't anywhere to be seen. Then he walked over to the door and stared at it. Just hoping that his mama would walk in at any second.
"Does Oski press buttons when I'm not home?" the video's text overlay reads.
Yep, he certainly does!
"I’m not crying- you’re crying. Ok, not true, I’m crying. Also, I wasn't gone long so Oski is ok," his mama joked in the caption.
How Dogs Learn to Talk with Buttons
Now that you're thoroughly heartbroken, let's talk dog buttons. How can you get your dog to tell you its exact wants or needs? Dogs understand a huge amount of language. So it's not so crazy to think that they'd be able to "talk" to us too.
Each speech button has been pre-programmed with recorded words or phrases, like "treat," "food," or even "play." Pair each command with something that ranks high in your pup's life, like "walk" or "yard" for when your pup wants to head outside. These are words that already have some association with you and an expected behavior and dogs are more likely to pick up on those cues.
Then it's time to start practicing. Every time you go our for a walk with your pooch, you'll want to hit the "walk" button to get them used to associating the sound with an action. Use patience in the process. You want your dog to really understand what the buttons mean and use the buttons independently.
As long as you are consistent, your dog will slowly start to mirror you and push the button when they want a walk. The goal isn't to train your dog to only use the button when they want to go out, but to help them make a connection. Once your pup starts using the buttons on their own, celebrate each victory. Positive reinforcement will help you dog know when they're getting it right. Once your dog has mastered his or her first few buttons you can slowly start adding more and more words. And then your dog will be talking up a storm!
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