{"id":19378,"date":"2025-01-06T09:00:39","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T10:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=19378"},"modified":"2025-01-06T10:23:50","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T10:23:50","slug":"do-our-dogs-have-something-to-tell-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=19378","title":{"rendered":"Do Our Dogs Have Something to Tell Us?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As soon as I got Ellie, my black-eyed, bat-eared German shepherd puppy, I trained her to be a good dog. And so she was. When I spoke, she listened; she kept her barks quiet and her teeth clean. Two years on, I started to think she was a little too<\/em> obedient. There was something pitiful about the way that, even unleashed in the park, she would stop at a fork in the path and look to me to point the way. In the house, she would pause behind a half-closed door instead of pushing through. She was hesitant, whining when she was unsure of herself, in a way that clashed with her big muscles and pointy canines. One day, when the cat in our local bodega poked its head out of the store, Ellie squealed like a child.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Listen to this article, read by Gabra Zackman<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption>
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Her training, I saw, had come at the cost of something precious. Her independence, certainly. But also, something more intrinsic \u2014 something like her animality.<\/p>\n

Ellie\u2019s dad \u2014 my partner, Jesse \u2014 agreed. \u201cI think she needs more self-confidence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The solution, maybe, was buttons. Around this time, I started to see dogs on social media seeming to express their desires by the most absurdly simple, low-tech means possible: stepping on multicolored plastic buttons on the floor, each disc emitting a word when the dog pressed it. I scrolled through videos on my phone of dogs pawing FOOD and MORE and NOW, sometimes in that order.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The most famous was Bunny, a lanky sheepadoodle<\/a> in Tacoma, Wash., with 8.6 million TikTok followers, a vocabulary of 105 buttons and a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder. Bunny\u2019s online store sold a starter pack of six buttons for $65. Through the buttons, Bunny reported her experience of the world. She said LOOK CAT. She was frequently CONCERNED. She seemed to have restless dreams about a STRANGER ANIMAL. A favorite topic of conversation was poop, as in POOP PLAY.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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@whataboutbunny<\/a> Dad callouts are my fave #callout<\/a> #poopy<\/a> #funnydog<\/a> #communication<\/a> #dogtok<\/a> \u266c original sound – I am Bunny<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n
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A post shared by Christina Hunger (@hunger4words)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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As soon as I got Ellie, my black-eyed, bat-eared German shepherd puppy, I trained her to be a good dog. And so she was. When I spoke, she listened; she kept her barks quiet and her teeth clean. Two years on, I started to think she was a little too obedient. There was something pitiful about the way that, even unleashed in the park, she would stop at a fork in the path and look to me to point the way. In the house, she would pause behind a half-closed door instead of pushing through. She was hesitant, whining when she was unsure of herself, in a way that clashed with her big muscles and pointy canines. One day, when the cat in our local bodega poked its head out of the store, Ellie squealed like a child.Listen to this article, read by Gabra ZackmanHer training, I saw, had come at the cost of something precious. Her independence, certainly. But also, something more intrinsic \u2014 something like her animality.Ellie\u2019s dad \u2014 my partner, Jesse \u2014 agreed. \u201cI think she needs more self-confidence,\u201d he said.The solution, maybe, was buttons. Around this time, I started to see dogs on social media seeming to express their desires by the most absurdly simple, low-tech means possible: stepping on multicolored plastic buttons on the floor, each disc emitting a word when the dog pressed it. I scrolled through videos on my phone of dogs pawing FOOD and MORE and NOW, sometimes in that order.The most famous was Bunny, a lanky sheepadoodle in Tacoma, Wash., with 8.6 million TikTok followers, a vocabulary of 105 buttons and a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder. Bunny\u2019s online store sold a starter pack of six buttons for $65. Through the buttons, Bunny reported her experience of the world. She said LOOK CAT. She was frequently CONCERNED. She seemed to have restless dreams about a STRANGER ANIMAL. A favorite topic of conversation was poop, as in POOP PLAY.<\/p>\n

@whataboutbunny Dad callouts are my fave #callout #poopy #funnydog #communication #dogtok \u266c original sound – I am Bunny <\/p>\n

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Christina Hunger (@hunger4words)
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