Can dogs talk? Pooches cannot talk like humans do, so dog owners primarily rely on the vocalization and body language of their pets to understand what they’re thinking. Christina Hunger, a speech pathologist, however, figured out a clever way to communicate better with her canine companion, Stella.
Continue reading to discover how her pooch got the monicker “Talking dog.”
How It All Began
Stella the Talking Dog’s claim to fame started when Christina wondered what the result would be if she applied the language interventions she used with her young human clients on her puppy.
She created a soundboard that contains buttons corresponding with words that she recorded into the device. All that her 3-year-old Catahoula/blue heeler mix needed to do is to step on the buttons to communicate.
Christina initially intended to teach Stella a few words to express her basic needs and feelings. Little did she know that her talking dog would make so much progress as time passed by.
Getting a Hang of “Talking”
By now you might be wondering: “Can Stella the dog really talk?” No, she can’t, but using Christina’s soundboard device gave her the voice to express her thoughts more clearly. Stella is able to tell Christina that she wants to eat, needs a nap, or wants to go for a walk, particularly to the park with a simple push of a button.
Moreover, the brilliant talking dog was able to learn over 45 words and even form phrases up to 5 words long. There was one time when Stella kept on whining at the front door and cannot stay put. Christina assumed that she wanted to go outside.
However, it was not the case. When the talking dog used the soundboard, she said, ‘want,'” ‘Jake,’ come.’ She then waited at the front door until Jake, Christina’s fiancé, arrived home. Then, Stella went back to her talking device, pressed ‘happy,’ and rolled over for a belly rub.
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Striking More Conversations with Her Humans
Stella often communicates through the soundboard when she feels misunderstood. One time, she expressed that she wanted to play. When her human companions didn’t come to play, she included more details.
She said, ‘Outside play love you.’ And for a good measure, she added, ‘park.’ In the end, she was able to enjoy playtime with her owners in the park by clearly communicating what she wanted.
One time Stella didn’t receive her morning snack since Christina stayed home for the day. Her owner noticed that the talking dog appeared upset and so she asked, “Stella what’s wrong?” The pooch replied “mad,” whilst letting out an exasperated bark.
When Christina asked Stella why she’s mad, the talking dog responded, “Stella eat eat eat.” This prompted Christina to give her furry pal a treat as she normally would have. After Stella ate the snack, she laid down for a snooze.
Watch this video:
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Stella the Talking Dog’s Rise to Fame
When Christina posted Stella’s talking dog video, which shows how the pooch communicates with her humans using the soundboard, many netizens were amazed. After all, it’s rare to see a dog brilliantly stringing words to express his feelings just like we, humans, would do.
Stella’s popularity blew up as many netizens watched her talking dog video. She became a pooch celebrity online, earning 103,000 followers on YouTube, 787,000 followers on Instagram, and 32,000 followers on Facebook.
Not the Only Talking Dog Around
Is there any talking dogs in the world apart from Stella? Yes, there are! One of the most famous talking dogs is Bunny, a black-and-white Sheepadoodle. She became internet famous after her owner, Alexis Devine, posted talking dog videos of her on TikTok, where she eventually garnered 5 million followers.
Alexis started out teaching Bunny with only a handful of simple words on the soundboard device such as ‘love you’ and ‘outside’. Now the talking dog has around 100 buttons which are organized into phrases.
She can request things from her owner like “walkies”, “beach”, “water” and “play”. The soundboard also has “yes” and “no” buttons to make Bunny respond to questions easier.
Opening New Doors
Many experts were so amazed by the abilities of talking dogs that they initiated a project called TheyCanTalk. It is a pioneering study about pooches and other animals, including cats and horses that are learning to use the paw-activated soundboards.
One of the pioneering participants is Bunny the Talking Dog. Today, about 2,500 dogs, 160 cats, and a few horses are taking part in the project. They all come from different countries, including United States, Canada, Brazil, and Japan, using multiple languages.
Curious Findings in Talking Dogs
Scientists found several fascinating observations as they continued to study the TheyCanTalk project participants. Some dog owners with multiple participating pets shared that their dogs use the soundboard to communicate on behalf of their other furry friends.
Other pet parents also reported less barking from their pooches ever since they started using the sounding board. Experts speculate that dogs have become less vocal because they have a better means of communicating with their human companions.
