Thanks to millennial-minded consumers and the Internet of Things (IoT), pets will have a whole lot more tech products in time to come.

Estimates vary but millennials are born after 1979 and before 1996. They were brought up on mobile as much as they were by moms and dads, and now they are choosing to be pet parents sooner, and human ones later. This has inspired a surge in tech-enhanced product development... for pets!

The figures are astounding. Forbes reports that "sales exceeded $225 billion in 2018 in North America alone, with that number expected to rise to $281 billion by 2023."

 

Here are a few examples of amazing products currently being developed.

 

AI to increase adoption

 

Dogs at rescue centres are often anxious around humans they don’t know, but those humans could very well adopt them if that first meeting goes well.  To help reduce the negative effect that nervousness can have on a human’s first impression of an animal, Adoptomise uses Artificial Intelligence to create visuals of a pooch’s best qualities. This means a shelter can start introducing an animal to potential adopters as soon as they arrive at the centre, even before they have settled in. The programme has increased adoption at other shelters, and is currently being used at 3 shelters in California.

 

Home training system for dogs

 

Go Dogo, by a Danish start-up company, is a “high-tech home entertainment system that provides mental workouts for dogs”. Under-stimulated dogs can be destructive, become bored and, worse, clinically depressed. This is especially true for dogs left home alone.  What if there was a smart system to safely train your dog using interactive, positive reinforcement while you’re out?

“Go Dogo plays videos on your TV, giving instructions to your dog for training,” PC Mag explains. “Its cameras can tell if your dog properly sits, rolls over, or the like, and dispenses a treat.”

“Go Dogo is all about the right level of difficulty, feedback and no-touch gaming!” the website points out. Computer vision watches your dog and its intelligent play logic works with the dog to deliver real treats.

“In the beginning it is extremely easy - the sweet AI instructor simply says 'Dogo' and out comes a treat. Slowly it becomes harder, and in the end your dog will know a lot of different tricks and combinations.” No more depro doggie! If you want to be part of this product before it goes public, support them via their crowd-funding here.

 

Book a vet appointment online on any device

 

Ever tried to book a vet’s appointment on mobile only to find the form doesn’t load? Or wished your vet would catch up with the 21st century and go digital? Vetstoria is an online booking appointment form that makes this easy without a vet having to change their practice management systems. Their business-to-business software helps customers book appointments anytime, anywhere, from any device. The company is expanding fast, and their vendor programmes are increasing daily. They work with corporate groups, independent specialist veterinary clinics and specialist practises. We hope they reach SA, with its high pet-to-human ratio, soonest!

 

Tips and tricks for pup parents at the tap of a screen

 

Struggling to understand your hound? Established e-learning and webinar host BarketPlace is developing PUP app. It will offer pet parents automated, predictive guidance tailored to individual needs. They already have a five-star app called Click Treat that supports your clicker-based dog training (which you can learn with them). If you’d welcome assistance with pet parenting any time of day via your mobile, you can sign up here to get updates on the app’s development and launch dates.

Heard of an upcoming pet-related app, gadget, device or software service we should know about? Tell us on our pet page on Facebook and help other South African pet parents keep up with the future of pet care.

 

P.S. you can get a free quote for pet cover online in less than 3 minutes right here.

 

More

A dog can help you with your own depression,

…but not if he/she is also depressed. Here are the signs.

Worried about pet anxiety in general? Get to know the issue here.

Anxiety can stem from your poor pooch being home alone. Try doggo day care instead?

My dog’s not sleeping right. Is it anxiety or something else?