Parent's name

A learner's parent or guardian is perhaps the most salient point of attention for many dogs. This makes them good candidates for introducing of the idea that it's possible to name those who act on the world (the individuals referred to by the subject of a sentence).

We recommend introducing up to two parents at a time, and reserving the introduction of the learner's name (or the names of other non-humans in the home) until the learner has mastered use of the buttons referring to the humans that are important to the learner.

Meanings and uses

• To summon or ask for specific people.

• To refer to an individual parent

Button sounds

• "Mom"

• "Dad"

Modeling techniques

Among our group of successful modelers, the following techniques were used:

• Modeled using games such as "go find dad" or "where's mom?"

What seems to have worked well

Among our group of successful modelers, the following seemed to be helpful:

• ...

What seems to have gotten in the way

Among our group of successful modelers, they avoided doing the following:

• ...