Also: CES 2023 tech you can actually buy now Talking buttons can be a great tool to effectively communicate with your pet. I love hearing what my dog wants when he presses his “go potty” or “eat” buttons to command me to help him, like the dog servant I have become. I’ve tried bells, training “touch” to get him to tell me when he needs to go, and buttons, and the latter have been the most fun of them all. Also: Missing your fur baby at work? These pet cameras can help Admittedly, I’m not the only one who thinks so. A whopping 8.2 million people follow Bunny, a self-described conversationalist pup that wows users with her FluentPet buttons on TikTok. Bunny has been trained to use the talking buttons to express what she wants or needs, holding simple conversations with her humans, and even asking questions about her surroundings or whatever crosses her doggy mind. “FluentPet Connect has taken our communication to the next level by tracking what buttons they press and when, in addition to providing a clearer picture of what they’re trying to tell us”, shares Alexis Devine, the owner of Bunny’s TikTok account, @whataboutbunny. Also: Automatic pet feeders to spoil your fur baby: Our top picks With the new FluentPet Connect system, each press of the button is saved on the FluentPet mobile app, giving users a clear visual on trends and to track their pet’s progress or, as Devine put it “compiling this amazing ‘memory book’ of our conversations.” The app can even help you decipher what Fido wants by suggesting possible meanings for word combinations. The FluentPet sound-emitting buttons can be placed on the company’s own interlocking HexTiles; each one can accommodate up to six buttons and can be color customized. Other new additions announced at CES are smart, Bluetooth-enabled HexTiles and a new mobile app. The talking buttons I got for my own puppy are a simple, solid color, microphone and speaker combination. But the new smart HexTiles from the FluentPet Connect system have a single high quality speaker, and users record high-fidelity audio right on their smartphones. It sports a built-in rechargeable lithium battery that can last up to three weeks. Aside from being Bluetooth-enabled, the new HexTiles feature an upgraded construction that can withstand your pets’ paws and claws and discourages biting, the perfect match for an eager teething puppy. The FluentPet Connect Base HexTile can be preordered for $69.96, and the full Connect System starts at $159.95. Shipping will begin in February 2023.
