The 7 Best Dog Talking Buttons for Expanding Your Pet's Vocabulary

Best Overall

FluentPet Dog Talking Button Tester Kit

$80 at Amazon $30 at Chewy View on Fluent.pet

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: Downloadable starter guide, button stickers, hextile foam mats}

Best Starter Kit

Hunger for Words Talking Pet Starter Set

$11 at Amazon $11 at Chewy $11 at Walmart

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 for Big Dogs

Learning Resources Recordable Answer Buzzers

$16 at Amazon View on Learningresources.com View on Zumaoffice.com

While not marketed specifically for dogs, these buttons 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 it's 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. These buttons are large, which makes them good for big dogs, but might make them trickier for smaller breeds to work with. They also take up more space on the floor than some kits with smaller buttons.

_{Button Size: 3.5 inches | Programmable: Yes | Extras: None}

Best Budget

Clizkytoonow Dog Buttons for Communication

$26 at Amazon

The Dog Buttons for Communications by Clizkytoonnow includes four brightly colored buttons made of durable plastic. Each battery powered button requires two AAA batteries and can store up to 30 seconds of recorded sound. They are also equipped with rubber feet to keep them in place while in use.

Most dogs have no trouble pressing these buttons, but they are slightly larger than others on our list, measuring 3.5 inches in diameter. The set doesn't come in stickers for labeling, but you can easily add your own.

_{Button Size: 3.5 inches | Programmable: Yes | Extras: Training guide}

Best Potty Button

Mighty Paw Smart Bell 2.0

$40 at Amazon $30 at Chewy $30 at Walmart

To give your dog the opportunity to tell you when they need to go out, you can install a doorbell or button 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. The buttons 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 inches | Programmable: Yes | Extras: Easy-stick adhesive backing}

Best for Small Dogs

Mewoofun Dog Buttons for Communication

$33 at Amazon $33 at Walmart View on Mewoof.com

The Dog Buttons for Communication from Mewoofun are sturdy, square-shaped, color coded, and powered by AAA batteries. If you have a smaller dog, these buttons should be an approachable size (3.3 x 3.3 x 1.5 inches), but they also come in a mini size (2.3 x 2.6 x 1.2 inches) for dogs that need a smaller button to press.

The dog buttons are sold in packs of two, three, four, six, or nine buttons along with a corresponding mat and adhesive hook-and-loop strips (often referred to as velcro) for secure placement and stickers for labeling. The colors—blue, orange, yellow, and grey—register as different shades to most dogs, helping them learn which button will activate their desired recording. It also helps to keep the buttons in the same position.

To record your voice, you simply press and hold record on the desired button. After you hear a beep you can record a message up to 20 seconds. Then release the record button upon which you'll hear another beep indicating that your message as been recorded.

_{Button Size: 3.3 x 3.3 x 1.5 inches | Programmable: Yes | Extras: Non-skid mat, stickers, hook-and-loop straps, screwdriver}

Hunger For Words Talking Pet Doorbell

$4 at Amazon $4 at Chewy $8 at PETCO

The Talking Pet Doorbell from Hunger For Words is a straightforward tool to help your dog communicate when they want to pass through a door. With the push of the paw or the nose, your dog can learn to trigger a pre-recorded bell sound or you can record your voice saying a word.

The plastic button can be placed on the floor or the wall using the mounting strip that is included to keep it securely in place. The button should be positioned as close to the door as possible to help your dog learn to associate activating the button with having the door opened. A pair of AAA batteries are required to power the button, but they are not included. However, a guide with instructions on proper use is included and it was written by Christina Hunger, a notable speech therapist in the dog training realm.

_{Button Size: 7.5 x 4 x 1.4 inches | Programmable: Yes | Extras: Mounting strip}