Keyboards, Signs and Buttons

After hearing about and reading a paper by Alexandre Pongrácz Rossi and César Ades I thought it would be interesting to try teach my dogs to use something similar to the keyboard device that they used. The device in the paper turns out to be quite expensive so I am going to give other devices a try (they are essentially talking signs). I will associate something with the sign that will identify it to the dog and the dog will press the sign/button and a word or short message will be played.

I can think of at least a few applications or experiments I could do with these devices.

1. Teach the dog to press a specific sign/button when it wants something (i.e. go outside, food, play, petting, a specific toy, etc.).
   
2. What types of symbols work best for the dog (arbitrary, pictures, drawing). Taari is very visual - watches TV, sees images on bags. Spice on the other hand isn't and it might be a good test of his eye sight.
   
3. Teach the dog to count. Do I use a number two "2" or represent two with two large dots?
4. Another way to play some of the games that are in Kay Laurence's book Learning Games.
5. Teaching the dogs a sequence. First push A, then B and finally C. This may be a way to exercise the dogs in the house when it is too cold and/or the sidewalks are too dangerous.
   
6. Expanding on the above, as well as a sequence have a "command" attached to the sign. For example when the dog pushes A the sign says "sit", then the dog goes and pushes B the sign says "down", etc. You could almost imagine a rally type course set up with these signs. Of course you may have to program the signs to say "command" pause "release". But I think that would be doable since they can record up to 10 seconds.

Too many choices at this point. I will have to figure out something simple to start with.

Also after thinking about it - do I want the talking signs to talk to me or to the dogs? I think that to explore what the dogs can communicate to me the signs should talk to me. Can I have the signs do both? Perhaps especially if they are "different".