How smart is too smart for your pets?
It’s National Pet Week, and we know how to celebrate at Digital Trends; with a slew of the smartest devices for our furry friends. But we’d want to pose a critical question: Is technology always a positive thing? So, How smart is too smart for your pets?
Pet technology holds a lot of potential, especially when it comes to keeping an eye on pets from afar. There are a plethora of apps, sensors, and monitors available. But, in the end, is that good for our pets? Is there a limit at which too much technology is harmful to our animal friends? Is it possible that it will stress them out, cause behavioral disorders, or worse?
Even though there aren’t always answers, it’s a good idea to inquire. Let’s look at what we know about smart pet technology, who it’s for, and how pets react to it.
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) for pet owners
A pet cam is one of the most popular smart tech choices for pet owners. We’ve compiled a list of them, all ready to keep an eye on your pet while you’re away from home. However, there is one catch with pet cams: they are intended for the owner, not the pet.
Let’s not forget about the privacy concerns that come with having on-demand camera systems in your house; which causes folks without paws pause.
Whether or not there is a camera there, pets will perform the same activities around the house during the day. Because many pets can’t discern sound originating from speakers the same way they can identify real-life speech; two-way audio choices may or may not have any influence on our furry companions. The true motive behind pet cameras is owner FOMO ; busy pet owners who are afraid of missing out on what their pets are up to during the day and may feel bad about leaving their companions at home while they work or go on vacation. We’ve all been in that situation.
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) for pet owners cont’d
In this light, all of the smart pet cam’s functions are based on what humans want from the gadget; not what our dogs desire. Would you like to be able to record; and share a brief video of your pet fighting a shadow on social media? It’s no issue! However, we should not pretend that our pet is unconcerned in any case. The wonderful thing about pet cameras is that; your pet will notice when the strange box is making sounds at them; and will come over to explore. but they aren’t the ones who are losing out.
Finally, don’t forget about the privacy concerns that come with having on-demand cam devices in your house; something that causes those without paws pause; especially because it’s not always clear how pet businesses encrypt or use video data.
What is the true purpose of the treat?
Creators of pet cams and pet monitoring systems quickly realized that owners would benefit from more methods to connect with their pets from afar. Treat launchers were born as a result of this. Today’s pet cameras and other monitoring gadgets have the option to launch a reward directly from the monitoring app.
While seeing video feeds of our dogs scampering after food may give us a happy rush.(along with the satisfaction of knowing we care that much); the pet-based benefit is more debatable.
The more preoccupied owners grow with launching goodies; while unable to connect directly with their pets; the greater the risk of their pets becoming overweight as a result of the activity. There’s no extra advantage, though, like there is when you provide incentives for a job well done during training. When their pets seek a treat; owners will most likely train them to pay more attention to a pet cam than to a real human, which is not a good tendency.
Treat launchers, on the other hand, continue to sell because they’re fun and make us feel good. The difficulty for humans is; to recognize when treat launchers cross a line and become dangerous to the creatures we’re trying to please.
Counting electric squirrels
Another tech craze for pet owners who can’t be at home with their pets during the day. (you may already be thinking about it) is to put on a TV show or app that they’ll like. Many pets are clever enough to identify what’s occurring on the screen and be captivated by it, and apps like Netflix are stocked with nature programming depicting all kinds of scurrying animals our pets may like watching. Simply ask dog owners how much their canine companions like watching TV with them. There’s even a DogTV network, which has several-minute “programs” that simulate normal dog play or family activities.
Apps and games have the same characteristics: Nestle created Cat Fishing 2 since the first Cat Fishing app for iPad and iPhone was so popular. Hundreds of more applications followed, promising to captivate and engage dogs that might otherwise be bored.
It’s the traditional babysitting conundrum. Sure, a nature program or a mouse-hunting software isn’t the healthiest kind of entertainment, but it keeps them occupied, and isn’t that preferable to them being bored and destructive?
Counting electric squirrels cont’d
Experts are split on the issue. Pulling up a movie for dogs isn’t the same as handing a tablet to a kid, and we’re not sure what the long-term consequences will be. Some veterinarians are concerned that television might replace otherwise healthful activity.
Others suggest that pleasurable TV activity, similar to white noise when we’re trying to sleep, might help with separation anxiety when pet owners have to go for the day. Alternatively, muted DogTV samples of vacuum cleaners and children may aid in the training of pets to be unafraid of the actual thing.
Other experts, on the other hand, warn that pets may not grasp what’s going on in a show or app at all. When it comes to predators like cats, there’s also the worry that games like Cat Fishing will be disappointing in the long run since there’s no final kill — the last bite or toss that a cat instinctively needs to feel like the chase is over.
Counting electric squirrels cont’d
TV, as we all know, isn’t exactly a boredom reliever, and no matter how many squirrels run across the screen, it won’t save your shoes from getting eaten. However, when used in moderation, digital play may help pets relax, improve their moods, and even strengthen their relationships with their owners, especially if there is an interactive component.
TV is generally not a smart choice for pets who have too much energy during the day. Instead, smart toys such as puzzle toys that stimulate play and smart bones that you can bounce via an app even if you aren’t at home are available. And maybe that adds some pet-related value to your pet cam as well.
What pets don’t understand can be harmful to them
While it would be good, our pets are unable to consult an owner’s handbook to determine whether or not they are appropriately using smart gadgets. The issue is that wrongly employing equipment might be harmful to their health.
Built-in laser pointers on pet products are the worst example. These laser pointers may be controlled through an app or set to autoplay mode to give continuous entertainment even when the owners are not there. It’s entertaining in principle, but it’s risky in practice: When humans gaze straight at a laser pointer, our eyes can be injured, and pets are no exception. We also have no way of alerting curious pets to stop studying the apparatus that produces the laser pointer, which might result in eye injury.
Automated pet feeders can also cause problems. While they can be used to manage portion sizes for pets that need to reduce weight, not all creatures will react in the same way. The internet is littered with viral videos of dogs that are perplexed or clawing at their feeders, plainly raising their stress levels and creating a great deal of aggravation. In the worst-case scenario, they may attack feeders and damage themselves, or they may bite through plastic, posing extra health risks.
Because of risks like these, the advantages of smart pet gadgets are determined on a case-by-case basis. It’s tough to predict how your own friend would respond, and it’s much more difficult to test ahead of time. When acquiring pet technology, this poses an inherent danger, and as owners, we must be aware of it.
Pets generally benefit from smart technology in the same way that people do.
We’ve spent a lot of time discussing the negative aspects of smart pet technology, but we’ll conclude on a good note: certain types of smart pet gadgets are great for health-related results. In many situations, use same sort of smart technology to assist individuals track and achieve their own health-related goals.
Pet activity monitors, for example, are comparable to smart health trackers like gym equipment used by people in that they allow owners to observe how active their pets are at different times of the day. You may establish objectives for your pet to obtain a specific amount of exercise or burn a certain number of calories each day, just like you can for humans. They may also use monitors as smart sleep trackers, indicating how restless your pet is at night and how much they are battling to sleep. Even activity tracking on litter boxes can reveal how frequently your cat uses it and whether or not they are suffering from a UTI or other disease.
Pet activity monitors are frequently included in pet-tracking gadgets, providing additional benefit comparable to smart trackers humans use for other purposes. Snap a little box to your pet’s collar, and you’ll be able to follow them if they leave the home or leap the fence – there aren’t many drawbacks. More sophisticated versions can help you locate lost dogs or discover new jogging routes that your dog hasn’t yet discovered.
Finally, the best guideline we have for safe smart tech is frequently what works for people, from health tracking to television.
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