Technological advances have filtered through into every part of our lives, and have even affected the relationship we have with your dogs. There are so many ways now that technology can be a part of your everyday life with your canine friend – but is this a good thing?
Advantages of Technology for You and Your Dog
There are many ways in which technology has helped dog owners. Here are some of the most useful aids:
Tracker – losing your dog is one of the most heartbreaking experiences a dog owner can have. Investing in a decent tracker with GPS technology means if your dog ever runs off, you can simply use your phone to track them down. As much as it would be good for us all to retain our hunter / tracking skills, I’d much rather use my phone to find my lost dog
Medicine – there are simply too many advances in veterinary medicine to list here, but they have all served one purpose – our dogs are living longer, and living healthier lives for longer as well, and this can be nothing but a good thing
Doggy-Cam – being able to watch your dog’s behaviour when you are not home is an invaluable tool for owners who want to help their dogs with separation anxiety. We no longer have to guess how much stress they experience when we are not there. Just don’t spend all day watching your dog on your phone when you should be at work, or interacting with other humans socially
Smart Microchip – these are replacing the standard microchip that you are legally required to put in your dog. They monitor your dog’s vital health signs such as temperature, heart rate and exercise habits
But It’s Not All Good for Our Relationship…
There are tools that exist already that you could easily use to replace time with your dog. Whilst these may feel useful in our ever-busier world, it’s seldom a good thing to spend less time bonding with your dog. These tools can be used when you really need them, but you should always make sure you are making time to do these activities with your dog as well
Automatic fetch machine – you simply teach your dog to drop a ball into a hole, the machine fires the ball at a pre-set distance, and hey presto – your dog is playing fetch with itself
Treadmill – now even I am guilty of having trained dogs to use these. They can be of great help when working with high energy dogs, nervous dogs etc. Or if it’s 40C outside and you want to exercise your dog. But nothing beats getting out the dog lead, and taking your best friend for a walk in the fresh air. This is the number one bonding exercise you can do with your dog
Automatic feeders – these can be set to drop an exact amount of food into a dog bowl, at a pre-set time. This is great if you are going to be out and your dog needs feeding, but as with the other items listed here, make sure you spend time feeding your dog as often as possible. Feeding your dog is an important ritual in your relationship with them
And the Future Could Be Even Worse…
Images once seen in science fiction films no longer feel so far away. AI robots walking your dog, AI dogs, virtual reality for dogs – all these things could soon be part of our lives, and all these things could distance your relationship with your dog further
Conclusion
Whilst some tools can improve our dog’s lives, and our relationships with them, some can also replace our time with them, weakening the bond between human and dog, and creating a lazy owner. Some advances in technology could even make this worse. So whatever the future holds of pet-tech, please never replace the human-dog experience, and make sure you bond with your dog – it’s what they want more than anything else