FluentPet

FluentPet Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryPet technology
Founded2020; 6 years ago[1]
FounderLeo Trottier[‡ 1]
Products
  • FluentPet HexTiles
  • FluentPet Connect
Revenue$7,000,000 (2022)[‡ 2]

FluentPet Inc., also known as simply FluentPet, is a private American pet technology company that produces buttons that pet owners can program to play recordings which pets can press to associate with different actions.[2][3][4]

Since the launch of its first product, FluentPet HexTiles in June of 2020, the company has reached over 100,000 households, and has sold over 2 million buttons.[3][5]

History

CleverPet (2013-2020)

In 2013, Dan Knudsen and Leo Trottier developed the concept of CleverPet, a game console for dogs after meeting in the UC San Diego campus. early tests began that year with Trottier's cat, Salk, who played the game "hot or cold", which called him over to a designated area in the room, and let him know when he approached the target. If he remained in the target for 5 seconds, he was given a treat.[6]

In 2014, Trottier and Knudsen made a company (which would be predecessor of FluentPet) of the same name and started a Kickstarter campaign with a $100,000 dollar goal, which raised $180,000.[7][8][9]

In 2016, CleverPet launched pre-orders for the CleverPet Hub, presented it at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), and won first place at CES' LaunchIt competition.[10][11]

FluentPet's origins (2018-2020)

The origins of the FluentPet system date back to 2018, when speech pathologist Christina Hunger, adopted a dog named Stella. She realized that Stella shared the same prelinguistic communication, resembling that of toddlers before they learn to talk. Because of this, she used AAC devices to help her dog "talk".[12][13]

Leo Trottier, founder of CleverPet saw this in fall of 2019, due to the popularity of the trend known as the "talking button" trend. He developed an AAC soundboard system for pets, and in 2020, founded FluentPet.[14][1]

FluentPet popularity and present (2020-present)

Videos of pets learning to "talk", commonly on TikTok and YouTube helped popularize FluentPet's communication system in the early 2020s. Notable pets that used the FluentPet system include Bunny, a sheepadoodle dog, Billi, a shorthair cat, and Elsie, a calico cat.[15][16][17]

A research study known as TheyCanTalk, conducted at the University of California, San Diego by cognitive science professor Federico Rossano, has studied the use of sound buttons by pets. The project checks whether animals can associate buttons with specific words or meanings.[18][1]

In 2023, FluentPet presented their product, FluentPet Connect at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show, and was also launched for pre-orders.[3]

Products

FluentPet HexTiles

FluentPet HexTiles are the main product developed by FluentPet consisting of hexagonal tiles to hold programmable sound buttons to record words or short phrases, which pets may press to associate with different actions or activities to communicate with their owners.[19]

Additional tiles and buttons can be added to expand the number of recorded words.[3]

FluentPet Connect

FluentPet Connect is an accessory for FluentPet HexTiles that can send a pet's words as text messages via a mobile app. It was announced and scheduled for shipping in 2022, and was presented and launched for pre-orders at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show.[20][3]

Awards

Year Ceremony Result Product Ref.
2022 Pet Care Innovation Prize Won FluentPet HexTiles [21]
2022 TITAN Business Awards Won (N/A) [‡ 2]
2023 CES Innovation Awards Honoree FluentPet Connect [‡ 3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Can our pets really say 'I love you'? Science is finding out". University of California. 2026-02-12. Retrieved 2026-02-19.
  2. ^ Seguin, Kendra (November 14, 2025). "This dog sends 'texts' to her owner. Here's how". CBC News. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  3. ^ a b c d e Perez, Sarah (2023-01-05). "FluentPet's talking button system lets you get a 'text' from your dog". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  4. ^ Rocha, Stephanie (2021). Teach Your Dog to Talk: a beginner's guide to training your dog to communicate with word-buttons. Berkeley: Ulysses Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-64604-254-8.
  5. ^ Lucas, Jessica (2024-03-17). "Can This Viral TikTok Device Let You 'Talk' to Your Dog?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
  6. ^ Schelenz, Robyn (2016-01-14). "Sit. Stay. Play". University of California. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  7. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (2014-05-15). "Introducing CleverPet: the world's first game console for dogs". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  8. ^ Trageser, Claire (2018-01-29). "UCSD Students Design 'Game Console For Dogs'". KPBS-TV. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  9. ^ Temperton, James (January 5, 2016). "There's now a games console for dogs". Wired UK. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  10. ^ Cameron, Gordon (2016-01-07). "Meet CleverPet, the Electronic Game That's Like 'Simon' For Dogs". Yahoo Tech. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  11. ^ Takahashi, Dean (2016-01-11). "CleverPet Hub is a $269 video game console for your dog". GamesBeat. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  12. ^ Bogdanovic, Zoran (2023-09-06). "Is That Dog Talking or Are We Fooling Ourselves?". Vice. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  13. ^ Shenfeld, Hilary (May 4, 2021). "Christina Hunger Taught Her Dog to Talk, Now She Wants to Help You Start a Chat with Your Pet". People. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  14. ^ Matei, Adrienne (2020-12-08). "Bored? These Americans are teaching their dogs to talk". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  15. ^ Włodarczyk, Justyna; Harrison, Jack; L. Kruszona-Barełkowska, Sara; D. L. Wynne, Clive (November 13, 2024). "Talking Dogs: The Paradoxes Inherent in the Cultural Phenomenon of Soundboard Use by Dogs". Animals. 14 (22). doi:10.3390/ani14223272 – via MDPI.
  16. ^ Sanchez, Kait (2020-11-11). "How Bunny the dog is pushing scientists' buttons". The Verge. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
  17. ^ Tung, Liz (January 20, 2023). "'Talking' pets: The citizen science project that could reshape what we know about animals and language". WHYY-TV. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
  18. ^ Nelken-Zitser, Joshua (December 27, 2020). "Meet Bunny, the TikTok famous 'talking' dog, who uses buttons to speak to her owner. Scientists are observing her to learn more about our pets' secret lives". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
  19. ^ "Pet owners are teaching their animals to 'talk' through technology" (Video). NBC News. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
  20. ^ Mauran, Cecily (2022-02-18). "FluentPet's viral talking dog buttons get an upgrade". Mashable. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  21. ^ "FluentPet Earns 2022 Grand Prize of Purina Pet Care Innovation Prize Program". Purina Newscenter. Retrieved 2026-03-06.

Primary sources

In the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):

  1. ^ "Scientific Integrity at the Heart of FluentPet". FluentPet. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  2. ^ a b "'Talking' Pet Communication Company FluentPet Wins 2022 TITAN Business Award" (Press release). FluentPet. May 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Marchwick, Melissa (November 16, 2022). "FluentPet Connect Selected as CES 2023 Innovation Awards Honoree". FluentPet Blog. Retrieved 2026-03-06.

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