The Best Dog Talking Buttons for Expanding Your Pet's Vocabulary

Best Overall

FluentPet Dog Talking Button Tester Kit

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FluentPet’s Tester Kit includes two talking buttons and foam “Hextiles” that hold the buttons securely and let you build color-coded sound boards of multiple words. The kit is designed to teach your pet simple word prompts like “outside” and “potty.”

You also can start off a little more ambitiously with the FluentPet Get Started Kit, which includes six buttons. The ability to upgrade is one of FluentPet’s most substantial advantages among dog talking buttons. The company offers a 12-button Basic Vocab Kit and a 32-button They Can Talk Kit—one for each word in their suggested introductory words list. FluentPet also sells additional buttons and Hextiles individually.

Every FluentPet kit comes with a set of 67 ideogram (picture word) stickers to mark your buttons. Even batteries are included. To get started, you record your voice saying a word, label it, and then insert the button into a hextile, creating a paw-pressable button that your dog will begin to associate with a specific action, given enough practice. You can watch these buttons in action on Instagram @whataboutbunny, where Bunny the talking labradoodle demonstrates her skills.

_{Button Size: 1.9 inches︱Programmable: yes︱Extras: Free, downloadable starter guide, button stickers and HexTile foam mats}

Best Starter Kit

Hunger for Words Talking Pet Starter Set

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This dog talking button brand was created by Hunger, who was consulted for this article. As a pioneer in applying human speech-language science to dog training, it’s no surprise that she was in a position to create the ideal starter kit for anyone who is interested in providing their dog with a vocabulary.

“As the founder of the Talking Pet Movement, I used my background in speech-language pathology, human communication devices, and my years of working with my own dog, Stella, to create tools and resources that help the average pet owner learn how to teach their own pet. Each product comes with a step-by-step teaching guide instructing you how to set your pet up for their best success.”

The Starter Set includes four plastic communication buttons and a guide for beginners. Each is powered by AAA batteries that are sold separately. The guide will help you learn how to recognize and build off of your dog’s current communication patterns to give them a voice and help you understand each other more clearly. You can purchase the Talking Pet Mat separately to help hold the buttons in place.

The Starter Set of four buttons is designed to get you rolling. When you’re ready for more words, check out the Talking Pet Next Words sets for names and locations, and the pre-recorded Talking Pets Essential Words set. You can also stay organized and motivated with the magnetic Goal Tracker set.

_{Button Size: 3.5 inches︱Programmable: yes︱Extras: Activity guide}

Best Customizable

Learning Resources Recordable Answer Buzzers

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While not marketed specifically for dogs, they work well for the purpose. They are very similar to the Hunger for Words Talking Pet Sets buttons, but they do not come with foam pads or a guide to get you started, so you’ll need to devise your own way to secure them. During home testing, I used foam floor tiles meant for toddlers and Velcro from the fabric store. Using a combination of online training videos and Hunger’s book, I’ve been able to reliably teach our dog Kuma several words in just a couple of weeks.

They’re affordable and easy to record up to seven seconds of sound using a little red button on the side, although the red button is not protected, so our dog has bumped it on occasion, erasing the recorded word.

Each button uses two AAA batteries that are not included. They are large, which can be good for big dogs, but that might make them trickier for smaller breeds. They also take up more space on the floor than some of the kits with smaller buttons.

_{Button Size: 3.5 inches︱Programmable: yes}

Best Budget

Boskey Talking Pet Starter Set

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This pack of six buttons comes with picture and word stickers and all the AAA batteries you need to get started. A switch on the bottom is toggled to "REC" to record, and then it can be switched into off or play modes. Most other buttons don’t have an off switch. Each button is made of durable ABS plastic and can record up to 10 seconds of sound. Rubber feet on the bottom help prevent slipping.

_{Button Size: 3.6 inches︱Programmable: yes︱Extras: 25 stickers, training guide}

Best Potty Button

Mighty Paw Smart Bell 2.0

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To give your dog the opportunity to tell you when they need to go out, you can install a button or bell near the door and train your dog to touch it. The Mighty Paw Smart Bell 2.0 mounts to the wall or door with a 3M adhesive strip, so no tools are required for installation, and the surface won’t be damaged during installation.

Unlike the other buttons on this list, these don’t require batteries. Instead, they work wirelessly. One programmable receiver unit is plugged into an outlet, and the activator button works anywhere within 1,000 feet. You can program the receiver by adjusting the bell volume and ring tone by choosing any of four different volumes and 38 different tones. They are water-resistant, so they are appropriate for outdoor use.

The button responds to a light touch, so it should work for small dogs and even cats. Mighty Paw is family-owned and -operated in Rochester, New York. It's also available with two activators so your dog can use multiple doors.

_{Button Size: 2.75-inch diameter︱Programmable: yes︱Extra Features: Easy stick adhesive backing}