Book
How Stella learned to talk : the groundbreaking story of the world's first talking dog / Christina Hunger.
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.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780063046832
- ISBN: 0063046830
- Physical Description: viii, 260 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 24 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2021]
Content descriptions
| General Note: | "Includes tips on how to teach your dog" -- Cover. |
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-260). |
| Formatted Contents Note: | 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. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Hunger, Christina (Speech-language pathologist) Human-animal communication. Dogs > Behavior. Dogs > Training. Zoology. |
| Genre: | Autobiographies. |
Available copies
- 2 of 2 copies available at Lehigh Valley Library System.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown Public Library | 591.59 HUNG (Text) | 34455006820381 | Adult Nonfiction 1st FL | Available | - |
| Bethlehem Main Library | 591.59 (Text) | 33062009449191 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
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.
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.
