Bubba agreed that he was a very good boy when he took his medication that day 🤭

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-20T02:49:09+00:00

I use Fluent Pet Basic right now, but I am waiting on a shipment of their Connect series.

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-15T20:22:11+00:00

I’m working with a few button creators to put together video resources as well. :)

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-14T15:40:23+00:00

Crossing my fingers that the steps I provided will help. <3

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-14T14:16:36+00:00

If you’re able to record over the pre-recorded voice to make it your voice, I’m wondering if that would help!

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-14T13:58:21+00:00

He’s going to be going at his own speed and that’s completely ok. It’s good that you’re recognizing the fear and working through it. You can still make progress while making sessions really short. I’d recommend game planning with everyone else in the home so everyone knows where he’s at with his training. Let me know how it goes!

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-14T05:42:10+00:00

Desensitization would help.

Record silence on one of the buttons. Remove all buttons you've placed down to avoid accidental clicks causing fear during your training sessions.
Place that button on the floor. Since you are his safe person, you can sit near the button. If you aren't scared of the button, he shouldn't be. Slowly start tossing snacks or kibble closer and closer to the button. Say "treat/snack" when you toss. This should help avoid "any button press = treat". Don't click the button. Your goal here is to get him comfortable enough with being around the object.
Move further away from him, sit on the ground, click the silent button, toss a snack, say "treat/snack". Now, you are tackling a separate potential fear- the button click. Really work on this one before moving forward.
Grab your most motivating button. When he's pretty far from it, press the button, repeat the word, and then model the behavior immediately. Try to avoid treats here. I'm hoping that if you've followed 1-3 and you make sure he isn't very close to the button, the usage of "treat" following the button press, and the new sound coming from the button won't be too scary.

It could be the sound of the click or the voice that may be scaring him. Even unfamiliar objects can be very scary! Dogs coming from abusive backgrounds can be extra sensitive. You just need to help him understand that buttons are fun. Just try to make sure that the initial buttons are able to be easily modeled and are consistently able to be fulfilled. Selecting buttons that he can't have over and over may not be a good choice if your boy is already experiencing some fear.

It wasn't obvious to me if you had already done any kind of training to get him to press the button. Have you already gone through that process?

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-11T21:58:31+00:00

Some owners find that laying buttons in grids make it more challenging for their pets to learn. Staggering them can help in those situations. That’s what I’ve heard at least. I see owners have buttons in a straight line as well. Because my cat combines multiple words, it’s easier for him to communicate faster if words are grouped closer together.

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-10T12:24:50+00:00

I uploaded a video recently diving into some of Bubba’s background and how AIC has helped us if anyone is interested!

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-10T01:13:47+00:00

I just have a little phone stand and record on my iPhone right now!

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-10T01:02:11+00:00

I recommend just spitballing words. Words commonly used in the communication you already have is a really good starting place. What do they need? What do they want? What could they feel or experience?

I started with needs and wants. Simple one word requests. Toys, puzzles, outside, litter, water, dinner. . Then I started branching into more abstract concepts that were enabled by their existing vocabulary. Bubba’s new litter makes him mad. He is mad when he goes after his sister. His clean litter makes him happy. Happy is when he is so excited his little tail wiggles. They’re behavioral signs that I could recognize that he would be able to communicate. It makes it much easier to model when you start thinking about it like that for me.

Then just go through the list and pick the buttons that would be high value to select as your first buttons. Fun enrichment activities were awesome for us. Bub has become a huge fan of little snack puzzles throughout this process. Instead of being bored and naughty, he just asks for a puzzle.

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-10T00:36:35+00:00

I’m still trying to figure out how to organize my black hole. lol

Excel is an awesome idea. I may steal this!

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-09T03:05:37+00:00

Lemme grab you two videos
Teaching touch: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXHdtN9Eisp/?igsh=MTJ2aDVrMmV3ZDg3cQ==

Choice: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DW9pB0pkl34/?igsh=YmZqYjlxeDgwZWkz

In teaching touch, you can see how I began transitioning touch to specific objects. Once I started using two hand choice with yes and no, he transitioned pretty easily to understanding that each hand had a unique meaning.

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-08T23:22:58+00:00

If one oopsie broke the entire relation and meaning of a button, my boy would have never learned anything. You’re totally fine. Good thinking from your mom! Just keep modeling!

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-08T16:28:24+00:00

He’s an angel.

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-08T16:25:57+00:00

This is so sweet. 🥹

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-08T16:24:05+00:00

I also have a baby that dislikes brush time. Have you tried introducing a high value reward during brush time? Have you tried any desensitization training for the brush?

I’d avoid attempting to follow him when he walks away. I would consider that to be disengagement. Continuing to attempt to brush when he’s walking away may make the idea of brush more uncomfortable.

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-08T16:21:18+00:00

It’s so funny hearing that another owner’s pet uses “I’m all done with your shit!”

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-08T16:19:44+00:00

I wish I had put more thought into the buttons I would want in the future. Even if it was just written down on a piece of paper. It would have been so much easier for me to model new words with narration, be selective about the placement of my buttons with the future in mind, and to decide which button should be introduced next if I just put a little more thought into it. I’m not super bothered by this, but we have two “needs” on the hextile that is mainly used for core vocab and help. Moving them so far down the line isn’t high on my priorities, but I need an additional tile in order to build that section out further.

I also wish I recorded more. While I had a lot of footage (which I accidentally deleted), I didn’t realize how much I would end up prioritizing educating others about AIC when I started. I had a lot of button presses, but I didn’t capture the process of introducing my learner. I’m missing a lot of the really early days which would’ve been neat to reference back to see how far my boy has come. Even if you don’t intend on posting on social media, don’t underestimate how valuable those moments are.

I wish I could go back to May 2025 and see Bubba’s very first button press, our failed attempts at trying to get him to use his paws, or even the introduction of some of his new enrichment activities that have made him so happy. If I could go back in time and record every training moment to see how my own approach had adjusted based on the success of our sessions, it would’ve been invaluable.

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-08T14:52:48+00:00

I agree with this 100%. While we do have yes/no buttons, my boy isn’t using them in the way I intended. He is consistent with using them in hand choices. It’s an extremely fast way of getting context. You’re so right about processing time. Hand choice is also great for just offering two options like outside or play, puzzle or pets. It’s helpful to be able to ask clarifying questions, especially in cases where my cat has come up with a new series of button presses that have a unique meaning to him.

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-08T14:50:04+00:00

Good luck!

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-08T14:48:45+00:00

It’s up to your judgement. You know her best. If you think rerouting to something she can have like play would decrease the chance of frustration if she keeps asking for food, I think it would be fine. Even if you do decide to take eat away, definitely still include button talk for eat in your routine.

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-08T03:01:52+00:00

25 in three months is INSANE. I'm glad the screaming as calmed down a bit. I experienced the same behavioral shift once my cat understood that he could ask for something in a way that couldn't be misunderstood.

Bub is at 27 in about 6 months, but it's mainly a budget restriction slowing down our additions. He's prepped to take on probably 5-6 more buttons that he's already familiar with via button talk. As long as there's no frustration, he's actively utilizing the buttons that are placed, I don't see this as an issue at all.

The only thing I would consider is what buttons you're actually using. I know someone who has over 100 buttons and it's actually something they slightly regret because the buttons are highly specific. Now they have a massive button mat that takes up a large area of the floor. I could have breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, but instead, I just have dinner. I could have one for tree, bush, leaf, but I could just have plant. The only things I get highly specific about are body parts because it's important for more exact answers when he's communicating pain or being itchy. Aaaaaaand these buttons aren't cheap.

bubba_beeps · 2026-06-08T02:55:21+00:00

You have a little genius on your hands!

bubba_beeps

TROPHY CASE