(Photo courtesy Thechattylab)
Copper, the talking dog, is capturing the hearts of people around the world, after videos of this extraordinary canine went viral on social media. Copper possesses an exceptional ability to communicate what she wants and even what she is feeling. Her affinity for communication is testament to the incredible bond between humans and animals and opens up new inroads into understanding the cognitive abilities of animals.
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Teaching a new dog new tricks
Copper, a young red fox Labrador, has learned to press buttons with pre-recorded words that have given her the ability to “speak” to her owner, Tia Herrell.
“I heard about a Speech-Language Pathologist who taught her dog how to talk with buttons, and I was intrigued to do the same with my new pup, especially because I'm also a Speech-Language Pathologist,” Herrell told Goodnet.
"I have always known that dogs are smart and can learn words. I was interested to see if my puppy could learn how to communicate in a new way. When Copper was a young pup, I made her a board out of plywood that I got at Home Depot and some buttons that I found on Amazon. Since then, her board has grown immensely," Herrell explained in an interview with Newsweek.
According to Newsflare, Copper can now let her owners know when she wants to go on walks and can even communicate her emotions. The intelligent canine can press one of 68 buttons available to communicate her needs.
Adorable and loveable
With nearly a million Tiktok followers, Copper is melting hearts and becoming quite the online personality. It is impossible to resist Copper’s sweet soulful brown eyes when you watch her “say” that she is sad because she wants to go potty. Then you get to see her happily on her walk outside when she and mommy go out so Copper can take care of her needs.
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In another popular video you see Copper communicate that she wants to take a bath and then watch the sweet pooch head into the bathroom and get lathered up and scrubbed down while enjoying her bathtime.
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Learning about dogs’ cognitive abilities
The phenomenon of a dog that is learning to express herself raises questions about the limits of animal communication. Copper's case challenges conventional notions of what animals are capable of communicating. “I believe that a dog's cognitive ability is similar to that of a toddler. They are able to learn new words and put them together in phrases to communicate their wants, needs and even feelings. Why not give them the means or voice through speaking buttons,” Tia told Goodnet.
“What I've learned about Copper during this communication journey is incredible and it continues to deepen our connection,” Tia added.
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