A super smart Labrador made her feelings abundantly clear after having an unusual request denied by her owner.
The bond between man and dog may be a largely unspoken one, but there is evidence to suggest our four-legged companions are more capable of communicating their needs to us than previously thought.
In 2017, research published in the journal Animal Behavior found that dogs have the same level of social intelligence as most 2-year-old children. Over a series of experiments, dogs and 2-year-olds performed similarly well on tests requiring cooperative communication skills like the ability to follow a pointing finger or the human gaze.
While that might only be a theory, there are examples of canines who are seemingly capable of communicating with their owners on a deeper level than simple commands like “sit” and “good dog.”
Copper is one such example. She’s been taught to communicate with her owner, Tia, using a special button board, with the results regularly posted to TikTok under the handle thechattylab.
thechattylab
Button boards utilize alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) technology to assist dogs in much the same way they help non-verbal people to communicate. Dog button boards tend to feature a selection of circular buttons with words and icons on them that correspond to the pre-recorded word than players when a dog stands on it.
The internet is full of examples of dogs who have thrived when using this communication tool and Copper is one of them. Tia is a speech-language pathologist based in the suburbs of Los Angeles. As someone who specializes in working with children who have autism, the use of AAC devices comes as second nature to her.
Copper was trained on one from an early age. “When we got Copper as a young pup I thought it was a good time to start her out with the buttons at 4 months old,” Tia told Newsweek.
“It didn’t feel like training at all to me. Rather it felt like we were learning the buttons together as a unit. I would push the potty button, verbally say potty and take her outside to go potty. I was constantly modeling and it just clicked. It was fabulous because I think it really helped with her potty training as well.”
Tia said that the board has helped her communicate with Copper on a “deep level” than her previous dogs. “I think that Copper knows that if she needs to tell me something or ask something she can go to her board and I will listen,” she said.
Things got pretty deep during one recent exchange between the pair that has garnered close to 5 million views already and was posted with the caption: “Copper has big feelings.”
In the video, Copper can be seen repeatedly asking her owner if she can go for a dip in the kiddie pool they have set up in the backyard. Copper can be seen repeatedly asking to use the “outside pool.” When Tia explains she was just about to head out for dinner and they will do that “later” Copper presses another button to ask “soon?”
But when Tia explains it will not be soon, Copper lets her feelings be known, pressing another button to indicate she is “sad.” “Copper kept staring at the window,” an onscreen caption reads.
The Labrador’s response and hangdog expression had viewers in hysterics.
“Cancel all plans. Copper wants to go swimming. Seems fair to me,” one TikTok user joked, with another writing: “Did you pack your bags for that guilt trip?”
A third said: “You let that baby in the pool right now,” while a fourth added: “She really knows how to work that sad button.”
While Copper’s puppy dog eyes are likely to have helped the clip garner attention, Tia thinks the video is also popular because of the way it shows her Labrador’s train of thought.
She said: “I think people like this one because she asked to go ‘outside pool’, I said maybe later and she said ‘soon’ like she was negotiating. Then when I said, not soon, later she pressed ‘sad.’ It shows her thought process.”
Tia said Copper is generally “obsessed” with water, which is why she was so desperate to go for a dip. “She loves it so much,” she said. ” If it’s not the pool then it’s the bath.”
Though she “felt bad” for having to say no, Tia did confirm that Copper went for a swim the very next day.
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