Today’s guest post is written by Mike Hemstreet, founder of My Dog Is A Robot, a blog featuring the latest in pet tech industry news. Comment and share to show our guest author some love!

As a tech geek and pet lover, I couldn’t help but notice an influx of pet tech innovations coming up in the past few years.

There’s so many companies emerging and growing at an incredible rate. It’s hard to keep track of them. I realized that I could help dog lovers like you learn about all of them in one place. Subscribe to the My Dog Is A Robot pet tech newsletter to get weekly updates about new products as they are launched. 

Read on to learn a little bit about how tech can help our dogs live longer, healthier lives.

Track Your Dog’s Health With Smart Trackers

Though dogs can’t talk, smart trackers are the next best thing. They attach to your dog’s collar, and can tell you everything from their exact location via GPS, to how much exercise they have gotten in the past few weeks. You’ll want to do your research before making a purchase because every tracker is different. They vary greatly in battery life, features, and price, so you’ll need to make sure the one you choose meets your dog’s needs. 

On My Dog Is A Robot, we have a page listing prices, battery life and features of 20 available pet trackers. One of the most popular is Whistle 3, which tracks your dog’s location via GPS, your dog’s activity and rest patterns and calories burned. 

If you’re looking for more in-depth details about your dog’s health, you’d want to choose PetPace, a collar that uses sensors to track temperature, activity, pulse, respiration, calories consumed and heart rate.

These collars and collar attachments usually send updates to your smartphone and can send alerts through an app if your dog isn’t getting enough exercise or may have escaped your property. Some of these accessories are a bit bulky, but they’re getting smaller and more powerful with each new release. It wouldn’t be surprising if someday these smart trackers are as commonplace as microchips.

Even now, approximately 10 million pets are lost each year, and just 2% of animals that are admitted to shelters are ever reunited with their family. GPS trackers can tell you the moment your pet crosses your property line, and will tell you exactly where they are – no more driving around the neighborhood looking for your lost dog. 

Fight Obesity With High Tech Smart Feeders

Over 50 percent of dogs are overweight, and the cause is often overfeeding. Irregular mealtimes, incorrect measurements and uncoordinated family members can all contribute to a dog getting too much food. Smart feeders can be programmed to dispense a precise serving size on a schedule. Some have controls on the unit itself, while others can be programmed through an app. 

In multi-pet homes, smart feeders are a must-have. Serve Smart Feeder can be used with the Wagz collars to identify which pet is at the feeder – and only dispense food to the correct pet. 

Some smart feeders can track your pet’s food and water consumption, which might not seem too important unless your pet has a health condition – in which case, changes in eating or drinking can indicate a decline in their health. 

Get Your Dog Moving With Interactive Toys

Most dogs need more exercise than we can realistically provide. Those of us who may be too tired, busy, injured, disabled, or otherwise able to keep their pet challenged physically would love high tech, interactive dog toys. 

For a mentally stimulated play session, try CleverPet. Your dog will have to press the light-up buttons in sequence, at increasingly challenging levels, to earn food rewards. 

Many professional trainers and behaviorists are using Puppod and Pet Tutor to combat training challenges like separation anxiety. You can program and control the smart toy and treat dispenser from your phone. 

GoBone races around the room, controlled by an app on your phone or in autoplay mode. It can be loaded up with treats to encourage your dog to chase it. Excellent for terriers and other dogs with a strong chase drive.

With a combination of interactive toys and a health tracker, you can set goals to increase your dog’s physical activity, and make lasting changes that will benefit their long-term health. Exercise helps control your dog’s weight and keeps senior dogs flexible, preventing immobility issues due to osteoarthritis. 

Get Instant Help 24/7 With First Aid Apps

When your pet is hurt or sick, it can be difficult to know if you should just wait it out or rush to an emergency vet. These apps are free to download, available on iOS and Android. Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of a possible emergency; download these apps today so you can access instant assistance even when the vet’s office is closed. 

Poison Control App from ASPCA – next time your dog eats something weird, you can instantly find out if you need to rush to the vet or if it would be safe to just monitor them at home. There’s even a chocolate toxicity calculator built into the app. 

Pet First Aid from American Red Cross – this app is packed with information about common health problems, articles and videos so you can learn how to respond in an emergency, and how to do CPR on pets of any size – it could save your dog’s life.

PetDesk allows you to request vet appointments 24/7, sends reminders, and stores information about your pets’ medications. You can also use it to communicate with your groomer, boarding kennel and pet daycare. 

PetCoach can connect you with a veterinarian to answer health-related questions (for free!) allowing you to sometimes avoid a vet appointment for a minor issue that you can manage at home. It also contains a database to help you find a new veterinarian, and you can use it to schedule appointments 24/7. 

Being a pet parent is getting easier and more convenient – and there’s still more to come.

Learn about new pet tech companies and other industry news at MyDogIsARobot.com.

Mike Hemstreet

Pet lover and self-proclaimed tech nerd, founder of MyDogIsARobot.com.