“I taught my dog to speak – he bosses my husband around and tells him to bring me food and drink.”

A woman taught her dog to "speak" so it can boss her husband around – and tell him to bring her food, drinks and give her a massage.

Sheena Shah, 31, taught her Pomeranian Husky mix, Sapphie, three, to communicate through interactive buttons.

Sapphie has learnt to press the buttons and uses them to tell Sheena’s husband, Sunit, 31, a physician, “mummy is hungry”, “pamper mummy” and “mummy water”.

The couple find it “so funny” and say Sapphire does it with “force and attitude”.

Sheena, a physician assistant and author of Sapphie - the dog with feelings, from San Diego, California, US, said: “I think it’s so funny.

“She is so expressive.

“She presses them with force and attitude.

“It’s like she understands it.”

Sheena and Sunit got Sapphire in September 2020 and the dog lovers “include her in everything we do”.

Sheena said: “She comes on trips, dates and we take her to theatres that allow dogs.

“She walked down the aisle at our wedding.”

Sheena was browsing for interactive toys when she found the training buttons and decided to give them a go.

Sapphire learnt to push a button and would then get a treat as a reward.

Sheena slowly started adding buttons so Sapphie could learn to say more.

She said: “It seems like she knows what she’s talking about.

“She’s very smart.”

Sheena - who is 37 weeks pregnant - has started using the buttons as a funny way to get Sapphie to communicate with her husband.

The couple practice for five to 10 minutes a day with her.

She said: “I have been in bed.

“I’m able to say 'Sapphie, can you tell daddy this?'

“It’s so fun trying it out.

“He’s a good husband.”

Sheena said Sapphie has already been “very protective” of her while she has been pregnant and can’t wait for her to meet their unborn son.

She said: “I think she is going to be so loving.

“Sapphie is the main character.”

Sheena is also passionate about mental health and want to inspire others to take care of themselves through Sapphie.

She wrote a children’s book called Sapphie - the dog with feelings.

She said: “Through Sapphie, we want to inspire others to take care of their mental health and know that they are not alone.

“With the book, I want to inspire the next generation to be self-expressive.”