How Stella learned to talk : the groundbreaking story of the world's first talking dog / Christina Hunger.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hunger, Christina (Speech-language pathologist), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Human-animal communication.

Dogs--Behavior.

Dogs.

Dogs--Training.

Zoology.

Physical Description:

viii, 260 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2021]

Summary:

A true story and simple guide to teaching a dog to talk from a speech-language pathologist who has taught her dog to communicate using simple paw-sized buttons associated with different words.

When speech-language pathologist Christina Hunger first came home with her puppy, Stella, it didn't take long for her to start drawing connections between her job and her new pet. During the day, she worked with toddlers with significant delays in language development and used Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices to help them communicate. At night, she wondered: If dogs can understand words we say to them, shouldn't they be able to say words to us? Can dogs use AAC to communicate with humans? Christina decided to put her theory to the test with Stella and started using a paw-sized button programmed with her voice to say the word "outside" when clicked, whenever she took Stella out of the house. A few years later, Stella now has a bank of more than thirty word buttons, and uses them daily either individually or together to create near-complete sentences. How Stella Learned to Talk is part memoir and part how-to guide. It chronicles the journey Christina and Stella have taken together, from the day they met, to the day Stella "spoke" her first word, and the other breakthroughs they've had since. It also reveals the techniques Christina used to teach Stella, broken down into simple stages and actionable steps any dog owner can use to start communicating with their pets. Filled with conversations that Stella and Christina have had, as well as the attention to developmental detail that only a speech-language pathologist could know, How Stella Learned to Talk will be the indispensable dog book for the new decade.

Contents:

Presume competence

Ozzie and Truman

The chocolate-colored puppy

Communication is everywhere

Three feet from gold

Now we're talkin'

Independence

Project disconnect

Bye, Omaha

The road to California

Using words in new ways

Creative combinations

Help!

Becoming automatic

Hunger for words

Language explosion

Hello, world

This is the beginning

Appendix A: helping your dog learn to talk

Appendix B: resources and recommended reading.

Chapter 1 Presume Competence p. 3

Chapter 2 Ozzie and Truman p. 19

Chapter 3 The Chocolate-Colored Puppy p. 29

Chapter 4 Communication is Everywhere p. 37

Chapter 5 Three Feet from Gold p. 53

Chapter 6 Now We're Talkin' p. 67

Chapter 7 Independence p. 81

Chapter 8 Project Disconnect p. 95

Chapter 9 Bye, Omaha p. 109

Chapter 10 The Road to California p. 123

Chapter 11 Using Words in New Ways p. 133

Chapter 12 Creative Combinations p. 145

Chapter 13 Help! p. 159

Chapter 14 Becoming Automatic p. 173

Chapter 15 Hunger for Words p. 187

Chapter 16 Language Explosion p. 203

Chapter 17 Hello, World p. 221

Chapter 18 This Is the Beginning p. 233.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-260).

ISBN:

9780063046832

0063046830

OCLC:

1198373351

Publisher Number:

99987450907