What is new on the button board –
Birdee added a few new buttons – she now has buttons for- All Done, Bedtime, Chinda(who walks her twice a week), Find It, Game, Molly, No, Outside, Walk, Water and Car.
Below is a modified table download of Birdee’s button use and my modeling buttons – from May. There is a break/gap in the data as we had an issue with her frustration when I could not respond quick enough for her button pushing.
This working from home means I cannot always respond as quickly as she would like, and this is a challenge in the consistency of our ability to communicate with each other. When there was a gap in my response time, she would sometimes stomp on the button, then flip the button out and chew it. I had to replace some buttons and we took a little break while I restored her buttons and tried to determine how to manage this behavior and still use the buttons for us to communicate.
To manage some of this what I think was a mix between frustration and attention seeking/boredom I tried a few things – when she would press ‘walk’ after we just finished a walk, I added an ‘all done’ button and would model using it when we would come in pressing two buttons- ‘all done, walk’ – and tell her we were all done. She knows all done from our training sessions – when we are done I use the words ‘all done’ and the as I put her toys away I toss a final treat. I also started using the ‘all done’ button after a training session and pushing the two buttons when I was done with training her – ‘all done, game’. Game is the button we use for training tricks and obedience.
You will see below that she uses multiple buttons sometimes now. I have found that if nothing else these buttons have helped me understand and listen more to Birdee. I have added buttons as I am clear that she is trying to tell me something but there is not button for it. I added one for Find It for our scent work game for instance when I realized she wanted to play that game more. I added no when I found myself using that word, to give her an opportunity to push no.
The other night while I was sitting in the living room with my tablet playing some silly game, she stepped up on my leg and started scratching the tablet – I looked up at her and sternly said “Birdee, no” – and she hopped off me and ran over to her buttons and pushed ‘all done.’ I just shook my head and laughed. I put my tablet down. That was so much more appropriate that barking at me or scratching my tablet.
And so the journey continues
There is so much more I could write here but I think this is a good place to stop this update. I have some video now of her using the buttons. I will add those in the next post.
| name | species | interaction_started_at | buttons_count | all_buttons | all_contexts |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-06-01 19:00:35 UTC | 1 | Molly | Attention-Seeking Frustration |
| Heidi | Human | 2022-06-01 15:38:33 UTC | 2 | all done Game | Modeled |
| Heidi | Human | 2022-06-01 15:38:19 UTC | 1 | Game | Modeled |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-06-01 15:38:00 UTC | 3 | Walk Walk Walk | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-20 16:25:32 UTC | 1 | Walk | Request Action/Object |
| Heidi | Human | 2022-05-20 14:29:45 UTC | 2 | all done Walk | Modeled |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-20 14:28:50 UTC | 3 | Walk Walk Walk | Not Sure |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-20 14:20:00 UTC | 1 | Game | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-20 14:01:00 UTC | 1 | Walk | |
| Heidi | Human | 2022-05-20 14:00:00 UTC | 1 | Walk | Modeled |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-18 23:57:10 UTC | 4 | Walk Molly Bedtime Chinda | Attention-Seeking |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-18 23:37:34 UTC | 1 | Chinda | Attention-Seeking Frustration |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-18 23:11:20 UTC | 1 | Chinda | Attention-Seeking |
| Heidi | Human | 2022-05-18 15:33:47 UTC | 1 | Find It | Modeled |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-18 15:33:27 UTC | 3 | Find It Game Molly | Frustration Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-18 15:32:39 UTC | 3 | Walk Molly Game | Request Action/Object Frustration |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-18 15:30:00 UTC | 1 | Find It | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-18 14:41:00 UTC | 1 | Walk | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-17 21:21:13 UTC | 1 | Walk | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-15 01:00:00 UTC | 2 | Walk Molly | Not Sure |
| Heidi | Human | 2022-05-14 20:30:00 UTC | 3 | Molly Walk Molly | Modeled |
| Heidi | Human | 2022-05-13 15:44:35 UTC | 1 | Water | Modeled |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-13 15:44:23 UTC | 1 | Water | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-13 15:39:22 UTC | 4 | Water Water Water Game | Attention-Seeking Request Action/Object Frustration |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-13 15:39:01 UTC | 4 | Walk Walk Walk Walk | Request Action/Object |
| Heidi | Human | 2022-05-13 14:15:00 UTC | 1 | Walk | Modeled |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-13 13:50:00 UTC | 1 | Walk | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-13 00:34:00 UTC | 6 | Game Water No Walk Bedtime No | Frustration Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-12 17:25:14 UTC | 2 | Walk Walk | Request Action/Object Frustration |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-12 14:15:43 UTC | 1 | Walk | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-12 01:25:45 UTC | 5 | Game Walk Game Walk No | Frustration Not Sure |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-12 01:24:22 UTC | 1 | Walk | Not Sure |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-12 01:23:17 UTC | 2 | Water Water | Attention-Seeking Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-11 20:03:42 UTC | 3 | Water Water Water | Request Action/Object Attention-Seeking |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-11 20:02:40 UTC | 1 | Water | Request Action/Object |
| Heidi | Human | 2022-05-11 20:01:48 UTC | 1 | Water | Modeled |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-11 20:00:55 UTC | 2 | Water Water | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-11 19:34:57 UTC | 3 | Game Game Bedtime | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-11 18:58:18 UTC | 4 | Bedtime Find It Game Walk | Attention-Seeking |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-11 18:52:51 UTC | 1 | Game | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-11 18:52:40 UTC | 2 | Walk Walk | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-11 18:20:46 UTC | 1 | Game | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-11 17:19:42 UTC | 1 | Walk | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-11 16:57:28 UTC | 1 | Walk | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-11 13:40:00 UTC | 1 | Walk | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-10 14:09:00 UTC | 3 | Find It Walk Game | Attention-Seeking |
| Heidi | Human | 2022-05-10 13:12:00 UTC | 1 | Walk | Modeled |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-09 16:00:02 UTC | 1 | Game | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-09 15:00:00 UTC | 3 | No No No | Not Sure |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-09 14:45:00 UTC | 3 | Game Walk Game | Request Action/Object |
| Birdee | Dog | 2022-05-09 14:00:00 UTC | 1 | Walk | Request Action/Object |