Last month, I delved into the weird and wonderful world of cat tech. Then afterwards, I felt a little guilty, because really, I'm more of a dog person. My spaniel would not be impressed. To rectify the situation, I've hunted out the best the world of dog tech has to offer. You can see my findings below, ranging from the 'simple and practical' to the 'probably unnecessary, but cool nonetheless'.
Possibly my favorite of all the gadgets I discovered was the Tractive Smart Collar. It's not just a GPS tracker, but more like a canine FitBit. So it'll alert you if your dog has made a break for freedom, but it'll also keep an eye on their behavior and vitals, and report back if there are any changes to the norm.
As someone who regularly finds herself trying to DIY drinking bowls while out and about, the other bit of kit that really caught my eye was the Barky Bottle. It's essentially an insulated bottle with a removable water bowl; a simple, affordable, all-in-one solution to keeping your dog hydrated on-the-go.
Scroll down for more of my top picks, and hit the 'View details' button to find out more about each one.
Top-tier dog tech
This pet monitor can rotate a full 360-degrees, so it has visibility on all corners of the room. There's two-way audio so you can tell your dog off if you spot it being naughty, and — even better — it'll chuck out a treat to reward good behavior, too. There's no subscription required.
This is a really neat solution for when you want to take your dog out hiking — it's an insulated, stainless steel water bottle with an integrated bowl for drinking out of. In fact, there's a second bowl included here for treats, too. It takes the fuss out of having to lug around a spare bowl, or DIY something your dog can lap from, while you're out and about.
If you have a shedding dog, staying on top of the fur and dander can be particularly challenging. This air purifier tackles the problem right at its source, because it doubles up as a pet bed. As well as filtering allergy-triggering particles from the air, it's designed to direct trapped hair into an easy-empty tray, and there's anti-odor technology built-in too.
This multi-tool gadget is designed to be an all-in-one grooming kit. There's a 15,000pa vacuum to suck up loose hair, with a 2L canister (larger than most cordless vacuums have) so you're not constantly having to empty it. Oneisall has bundled in clippers, a nail grinder and a trimmer, for a tail-to-nose grooming session.
Can't quite keep up with your dog's energy levels? This automatic tennis ball launcher could be a game-changer. It can propel balls up to 40 feet away, but there's a distance adjuster if that's too far for your particular park, and you can adjust the trajectory, too. It's designed to work with balls of various sizes, and it can run off the mains or via battery.
Think of the Tractive as a health tracker for your dog. Primarily, it's a GPS tracker so if you have a particularly adventurous dog, you'll be able to find them whenever they wander off. On top of that, though, it'll monitor all kinds of health indicators, including heart and respiratory rates, sleep and activity levels, and barking. It'll alert you if there's a change in the usual patterns, which could suggest something is amiss.
It's not as fancy as other dog monitors in this roundup, but this pet-focused Eufy security camera is great if you want to avoid costly subscriptions and just need something relatively simple. It'll wake up when it detects motion, then lock in and track the furry culprit on its travels. There's also two-way audio, if you spot your dog doing anything it shouldn't be.
This air purifier is built specifically for the owners of furry pets. It'll suck in stray hairs from a full 360-degree radius, and the transparent casing enables you to marvel at what a good job it's doing / wonder how it's possible for your pet to shed quite so much fluff and not be entirely bald. There's a triple-layered filter to trap dander and neutralize smells, and the power cable is designed to be chew-proof, too.
Got a back yard and a dog that just wants to be able to get in and out whenever they want? That's exactly the setup that inspired the founders of Pawport to make this smart pet door. It's made from aircraft-grade aluminum and opens for your pet only. You can pick the size and finish to suit your home. And voila, your pet can head out whenever they want, without no assistance required from you.
