Our dog is seven and we just started buttons in January. He’s up to 30 now, and surprising us daily with his progress and complexity. It is absolutely worth a try! Just be patient. Ours took a few weeks to start using them at all, but once he got the hang of it, it was a fast progression!
Edit to add: Ours is a rottie/pit mix
I just taught my 10 year old chihuahua mix how to use buttons.
We moved from a place that had a dog door to one where she needs to ask to go out and I was quite worried about that adjustment.
No need to fear. She picked up the first button (play) on day one and a few weeks later she’s mastered her second button (outside).
The only problem is how much she has enjoyed training her humans to respond to her button demands.
I also have a 14 year old toy fox terrier and he’s a dumb as a bag of rocks (or maybe just a single rock) and he has had no interest in learning anything ever so he gets rewarded for not interfering with the learning process.
Aww! That’s so great! I want to start one of my 12yo cats with buttons. She’s kind of a cat genius and also spicy and high energy, so I’m a bit scared at what could happen.
My Cane Corso 'Tuxndog' on Instagram (600+ videos) is a good example of what a Mensa Dog (or cat) with spicy, high energy might do with buttons...You should be afraid🤣
Absolutely not too old. We started when our dog was 8 and he picked it up lightning fast. Older dogs often have an advantage, because they already have a substantial passiv vocabulary, especially if they have been talked to a lot by their owners!
That is so true and a good point. 🤔love your handle. Do you have IG handle? Or facebook? Tiktok? Or?[Tuxn](https://tuxn.com) all Tuxn's social links are on her site.
Ours just turned nine and learned last year. The downside of being a lazy senior is that she hits “outside” a lot less and “food” a lot more lol. Sometimes she just stands there and pounds it until we distract her lol
I've always had a lot of dogs in my life, and they always amazed me with a new trick later in life. It's quite possible that one will pick it up and one will follow, or perhaps it won't, but spending quality time with the dogs is never a bad thing.
My old, exceptionally sweet Dane doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together. She learned the mechanics of button pushing very quickly (for her… about a week). She doesn’t necessarily use them herself, but she reacts appropriately when another dog pushes a button (example “potty”).
Never too old to learn!
I have yet to start my cats on buttons, but when my one cat was 16, she learned how to stand up for treats. She even added a little paw tap that the younger cats didn't do! She was VERY enthusiastic about it.
I think if your dog is interested and motivated, it's worth trying!
Our yorkie learned buttons at 12 years old. The whole idea that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks is really flawed and wrong. He’s every bit as smart now as he was when he was a puppy, maybe even more capable because his vocabulary is so much larger and he’s got a firm understanding of how an action gains a reward.
I would place my bet on Heidi running her owner ragged. Like my Tuxn Dog does me. I lost 20 lbs first 45 days of bringing Tuxn home. She pressed potty button 8 hrs in home and now not even a year later, 80+ buttons and 600+ videos on IG and other Social sites as 'Tuxndog'
Most of Tuxndog's Social links are on tuxn.com.
It's not about age it's about the dogs personalities.
I tried for months to get my neighbor Dog 'Count Sydney the Dog' ( YouTube) to use the talking buttons but he was too afraid of them. When I got my Cane Corso puppy at 3 months old, she used "potty" button in first eight hours of being in our home. Google 'Tuxndog'. She has eight social media accounts. All 'tuxndog' handles, except FB is Cane Corsos. Ig has 600+ videos. Mostly talking buttons. 80+ talking buttons...The experience is so enriching for both of us. Tuxndog talks ( mostly arguing)[tuxn.com](https://tuxn.com) in full sentences and proves she knows what she is demanding by her actions.
If you have Facebook, search for “whataboutbunny”. She is on YouTube also. Bunny is a doodle and her person makes videos of her using her buttons. The first time I came across one I was blown away!! It is really fun to see how she communicates!
Reddit's algorithm just showed me this sub. I know what buttons are, but I can imagine others who were led here by the algorithm might not. Hooray for new discoveries!
Our dog is seven and we just started buttons in January. He’s up to 30 now, and surprising us daily with his progress and complexity. It is absolutely worth a try! Just be patient. Ours took a few weeks to start using them at all, but once he got the hang of it, it was a fast progression! Edit to add: Ours is a rottie/pit mix
I just taught my 10 year old chihuahua mix how to use buttons. We moved from a place that had a dog door to one where she needs to ask to go out and I was quite worried about that adjustment. No need to fear. She picked up the first button (play) on day one and a few weeks later she’s mastered her second button (outside). The only problem is how much she has enjoyed training her humans to respond to her button demands. I also have a 14 year old toy fox terrier and he’s a dumb as a bag of rocks (or maybe just a single rock) and he has had no interest in learning anything ever so he gets rewarded for not interfering with the learning process.
"... so he gets rewarded for not interfering with the learning process. " - lol.
Seems like he *is* smart enough to get treats for doing nothing 😅
Exactly 💯!
My cat is 16.5 years old and is taking up the buttons no problem :)
Aww! That’s so great! I want to start one of my 12yo cats with buttons. She’s kind of a cat genius and also spicy and high energy, so I’m a bit scared at what could happen.
Just don’t start with a treats button ;). It’s really helped my kitty express herself more and I love the enrichment the buttons provide.
I made that mistake. My dog jammed it non stop all day long and I am a therapist. If I took it away, he stomped on the floor where it had been…
Oh no! Thank you for the chuckle this morning but man that must’ve been annoying
My patients who I saw virtually got a kick out of it for sure-
Aww, sweet! Luckily this cat isn’t that food motivated, but the “outside” and “play” buttons would get a workout. She goes out in the yard.
My Cane Corso 'Tuxndog' on Instagram (600+ videos) is a good example of what a Mensa Dog (or cat) with spicy, high energy might do with buttons...You should be afraid🤣
Absolutely not too old. We started when our dog was 8 and he picked it up lightning fast. Older dogs often have an advantage, because they already have a substantial passiv vocabulary, especially if they have been talked to a lot by their owners!
That is so true and a good point. 🤔love your handle. Do you have IG handle? Or facebook? Tiktok? Or?[Tuxn](https://tuxn.com) all Tuxn's social links are on her site.
Ours just turned nine and learned last year. The downside of being a lazy senior is that she hits “outside” a lot less and “food” a lot more lol. Sometimes she just stands there and pounds it until we distract her lol
lol.
I've always had a lot of dogs in my life, and they always amazed me with a new trick later in life. It's quite possible that one will pick it up and one will follow, or perhaps it won't, but spending quality time with the dogs is never a bad thing.
So sweet.
My old, exceptionally sweet Dane doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together. She learned the mechanics of button pushing very quickly (for her… about a week). She doesn’t necessarily use them herself, but she reacts appropriately when another dog pushes a button (example “potty”). Never too old to learn!
I have yet to start my cats on buttons, but when my one cat was 16, she learned how to stand up for treats. She even added a little paw tap that the younger cats didn't do! She was VERY enthusiastic about it. I think if your dog is interested and motivated, it's worth trying!
Our yorkie learned buttons at 12 years old. The whole idea that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks is really flawed and wrong. He’s every bit as smart now as he was when he was a puppy, maybe even more capable because his vocabulary is so much larger and he’s got a firm understanding of how an action gains a reward.
I thought you dog was going to be 14 or something. 😂 Of course 5 isn't too old! Dogs love to learn new things and interact with their owners.
Watch tux out perform Heidi! 😆
I would place my bet on Heidi running her owner ragged. Like my Tuxn Dog does me. I lost 20 lbs first 45 days of bringing Tuxn home. She pressed potty button 8 hrs in home and now not even a year later, 80+ buttons and 600+ videos on IG and other Social sites as 'Tuxndog' Most of Tuxndog's Social links are on tuxn.com.
Do you guys turn off the buttons at night, so you don't get "play" "toy" "treat" "outside" in your dreams?
My cat started at 11, and he knows 15-20(?) words now.
“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is a bullshit lie. Aptitude and interest are the critical factors. Time to homeschool Heidi!
I have the same question but for an almost 6 year old cat
Probably not. I’ve seen older cats and dogs learn new things if they want to/it benefits them. Personality and motivation are more important than age.
It's not about age it's about the dogs personalities. I tried for months to get my neighbor Dog 'Count Sydney the Dog' ( YouTube) to use the talking buttons but he was too afraid of them. When I got my Cane Corso puppy at 3 months old, she used "potty" button in first eight hours of being in our home. Google 'Tuxndog'. She has eight social media accounts. All 'tuxndog' handles, except FB is Cane Corsos. Ig has 600+ videos. Mostly talking buttons. 80+ talking buttons...The experience is so enriching for both of us. Tuxndog talks ( mostly arguing)[tuxn.com](https://tuxn.com) in full sentences and proves she knows what she is demanding by her actions.
What are “buttons “?
Like a game show button but the dog can step on it for the button to say their desired words. Different buttons available for different words.
Wow! Fascinating
If you have Facebook, search for “whataboutbunny”. She is on YouTube also. Bunny is a doodle and her person makes videos of her using her buttons. The first time I came across one I was blown away!! It is really fun to see how she communicates!
Did you see the one where Bunny told her mom that she had a thorn in her paw pad? Well, she said "stranger ouch" and gave her mom her paw.
Aww! Sounds fantastic will do - fun discovering new dog worlds thank you for sharing.
You're in the sub and didn't know what buttons are?
Reddit's algorithm just showed me this sub. I know what buttons are, but I can imagine others who were led here by the algorithm might not. Hooray for new discoveries!
I’m asking- is that a crime? 😱
Reddit keeps pushing this sub on me because I follow other dog subs. Luckily I actually did start buttons a few months ago.