Tag Archives: dog
This indoor dog game brings in the outdoors and hides treats for your pet to sniff out!
Keeping pets entertained is a ‘round-the-clock sort of gig. Chew toys get boring too quickly and sometimes dogs might confuse their pent-up energy for a reason to take a walk – forty minutes and two laps around the block in and your dog still hasn’t gone number two, instead only endlessly sniffing and marking territories. While they might not be releasing what we’d like them to, even on those walks, dogs need ways to relieve energy. The constant stimulation that naturally comes with spending time outdoors gives your pup space and time to discharge all their energy, but it also shouldn’t be the only means for that. While taking your dogs on walks should always be encouraged, Gosewalk, a nose work play toy for dogs, offers a playful way for dogs to funnel their pent-up energy that won’t require putting on your outdoor shoes.
Designed by Jihyun Han, Gosewalk consists of two toy pieces, a multi-surfaced mat that resembles the different terrain found outdoors, and a silicone puzzle that stows away dog treats for your pup to sniff and find. The multi-surfaced mat brings the outdoors to your dog with different fabrics resembling different terrains. Twisted and shaggy polyester mimics the look and feel of grass, while tan corduroy and water-repellant canvas brings the colors of sand and soil to your dog’s snout. Pockets and flaps line the mat’s fabrics and provide perfect hiding places for treats and mixtures of herbs and scents to entertain your pup. The silicone puzzle, which seems to be a smaller, more portable companion piece to the bulkier mat, resembles the look of grass through its tender, spring green silicone nubs that grid the toy. Hidden compartments are carved into the silicone puzzle where dog owners can store treats for their pups to sniff out and munch on. Then, in the middle of the puzzle, a darker green, ruffled and leafy centerpiece camouflages yet another hidden storage compartment which can be used to stow away packets of herbal mixtures for dogs to sniff on while hunting for treats. Both parts of Gosewalk, the silicone puzzle, and the mat are washable and also designed to last long, so your pup won’t be able to dig this toy to shreds.
Gosewalk’s origin comes from the merging of three words: grass, nose, and walk. Taking a dog on a walk even one time will show anyone that a dog’s sense of smell is everything. Knowing that dogs make sense of their world through different smells and their memory associated with them, Han centered Gosewalk’s solution concept around the ability to smell and locate. Designed to offer the same effect that comes with taking your dog on walks outdoors, Gosework gives your dog reason to dig and chew and sniff until they’ve found all the hidden treats stored inside. Make sure your pup doesn’t get too good at the game though, treats add up, you know.
Designer: Jihyun Han
Made from upcycled polypropylene packaging, a fashion designer & creative director designed a winter jacket for dogs!
While I’m subscribed to a newsletter that sends out lists of dogs available for adoption, I’m unfortunately still puppy-less. That being said, if I did have a short-haired doggo of my own, then these colder winter months might call for a shopping spree. If your dog’s winter style could use a revamp, then look no further than Remy, the half-dachshund, half-chihuahua, full-time sleepyhead from New York City. Between Two Naps, an NYC-based collaboration between a creative director and fashion designer makes experimental and wearable objects for dogs, inspired by their pup Remy. Upcycled from grocery delivery bags, Between Two Naps’ new glossy delivery jacket is handmade in New York City and tailored-to-fit any dog.
With these winter months getting colder and more treacherous, keeping dogs and puppies with shorter hair warm is a top priority for dog-owners. In fact, 40% of dog-owners based in the U.S.A. bought some item of clothing for their dog during the year 2020. If you’re looking to upgrade your’s pup’s wardrobe for the new year, the collection of dog jackets from Between Two Naps features some other fun options, like headpieces topped with pillows and puppy-themed, plush racing helmets. The Delivery Jacket, however, is their upcycled option, which comes one-of-a-kind, with a cropped body and elasticated underside. Their design features classic packing labels embedded into the jacket’s fabric that includes random words such as “sleep,” which help the store owners track outbound shipments.
Speaking on behalf of every single one of us – with all the shipments we’ve been receiving in the mail in 2020, it’d be difficult not to instantly recognize the sheen of this dog’s astro-chic jacket. Between Two Naps took it upon themselves to reinvest in an otherwise unsustainable piece of metalized polypropylene, which typically ends up in the trash, and transformed it into an insulated, one-of-a-kind, winter jacket for small dogs. So, wear it proudly pups, because – and yes I’m still speaking for all of us –we wish we could.
Designer: Between Two Naps
This Boston Dynamics robot dog’s smaller sibling is more affordable, and can be taught new tricks!
Meet the Bittle, if it looks vaguely familiar, it’s because it most certainly is. Modeled on the design of the popular Boston Dynamics robot dog, Spot, the Bittle features a similar design + color scheme, and crushes the notion that an old dog can’t learn new tricks because Bittle runs entirely on Arduino, and can be quite literally programmed to do all sorts of things!
You can either look at Bittle as a STEM project for your child, or a really interesting toy for adults to play and tinker with. The robot comes with a plastic body that doesn’t take long to assemble, and features a modular body, which means you can either build the Bittle without a head or tail (sort of like Boston Dynamics’ Spot), or add them on for good measure and make your toy look more playful and less creepy. Once assembled, the Bittle’s Arduino hear powers its movements, allowing it to walk, jog, jump, and climb up obstacles with ease. An infrared sensor helps with obstacle detection, and the incredibly nimble and flexible limbs help Bittle even get up if it collapses over.
The Bittle runs on an open-source network that you can use to program it and teach it new tricks. There’s even a fan-made app that allows you to remotely control your pet dog, but it isn’t quite as freeing as Bittle’s ability to run Arduino IDE, Python, Codecraft, or other languages. All of Bittle’s code sits in a GitHub repository for you to immediately begin tinkering with, and the ever-expanding community is always providing new tips and tricks that you can use to make the Bittle do your bidding… just don’t turn it sentient.
Bittle’s head module does a little more than anthropomorphizing the robot quadruped. It additionally allows you to plug more components into the bot, including a tiny camera module that quite literally allows Bittle to see where it’s going. The bot is built to be relatively lightweight and toyish, but it can carry loads of up to 1lb or 453 grams too, so you could jolly well program it to carry a remote or a biscuit to you. Moreover, it provides the perfect framework to really understand how robots are built, how they behave, and how you can build them to be better at what they do, for an incredibly affordable price tag of $250. Just please, don’t turn them sentient…
Designer: Petoi
This dog-friendly muzzle design tightens only when your dog feels threatened
There are several reasons why a dog might be wearing a muzzle. They might be recovering from a painful injury or get anxious in crowded areas. Yes, these feelings of vulnerability and anxiety may prompt a dog to nip or bite as a defensive reflex, but that doesn’t make the dog dangerous. Unfortunately, a muzzled dog attracts negative attention, even if the animal is actually a sweetheart.
The Joyda muzzle presents a more subtle, comfortable alternative to existing products. Instead of following a common muzzle design, which essentially looks like a cage over the dog’s mouth, the Joyda uses a light strip of fabric around the snout. For the most part, the Joyda muzzle hangs loosely, not restricting the dog’s mouth at all. The strap will only tighten when it senses a potential attack. How can the Joyda tell? Well, the muzzle comes with a sensor that clips onto the dog’s collar. If the monitor notices a change in heart rate or other signs that might indicate aggression, it will send a signal to the muzzle and tighten around the dog’s snout until the perceived threat passes.
The Joyda is such a simple, smart solution to a common problem. I think the most impressive aspect of the design is its ability to destigmatize the use of muzzles. I would love to see this product be available for dog shelters because it would be incredibly helpful for socializing nervous animals in a safe, comfortable way.
Designers: Choi Jong Hun, Kim Dong Gyu, Kim Jong Myoung, Kim Kyeong Jun, and Lee Chan Jae
Alexa Guard Plus Can Bark at Home Intruders
This past week, Amazon revealed a slew of new gadgets to upgrade your smart home setup. Among them is Guard Plus, a premium version of its Guard security service that lets you use your Echo speakers and Echo displays as home security devices. The system can do lots to improve home security, including the ability to make burglars think you have a dog even if you don’t.
Guard Plus can work with outdoor cameras and smart doorbell cameras to detect motion outside of your home, and then to play the sound of dogs barking when someone approaches. I speak from personal experience that the sound of barking dogs makes strangers think twice before even coming up the stairs to my front door, so this could definitely be a useful crime deterrent. Guard Plus can also alert you to sounds like footsteps, glass breaking, doors closing, or a smoke alarm when you’re away from home and play back the sound on your smartphone so you can decide if it’s something to be worried about and to contact the service’s emergency helpline for assistance.
In addition, Guard Plus makes it easy to call for help in an emergency, even if you’re incapacitated. When you say “Alexa, call for help!” it will automatically route you to an emergency response agent to help request an ambulance, police, or fire department, completely hands-free.
Guard Plus will launch later in 2020 at a price of $4.99 per month or $49 per year. If you’re interested, you can register to be notified when it launches over on the Amazon website.
[via Engadget]
This dog harness + leash combo is the safest, most comfortable way for humans to walk their pets!
Whether you have just brought home a new dog or want a safer and more comfortable gear to walk them every morning, this hybrid dog harness with an integrated leash is what can make the difference. As a pet parent, you’d agree, there is nothing more satisfying to see the anticipation and unbridled excitement your furry friend has to step into the outdoors. This pure joy can be momentary if you do not have the comfortable gear and your dog feels tied up and restricted when running through the grass or jaunting through the block.
Outdoor pet equipment company TailHigh has revealed the ‘Hybrid Dog Harness’ combining a harness with a leash in one single contraption that saves the trouble of carrying an additional leash and attaching or detaching it to the harness. This innovative dog accessory, with lightweight and retractable tape-type leash extendable up to 5 feet, is designed by BKID. Interestingly, it is made from breathable, soft EVA foam combined with mesh fabric for a comfortable fit. The harness is equipped with a seat belt like two-way-lock safety stop technology, which if the dog pulls the string during an unexpected action, can automatically stop the line even if the owner misses the handle, letting the dog escapes unhurt.
The hybrid dog harness is available in three – small, medium, and large sizes, so it can be applied from small dogs to large ones up to 77lbs. It comes with a Y-shaped chest pad to keep the dog’s chest from compressing in case of unwanted pulls and nudges and also features light-reflective stitching on the chest logo and leash to ensure more visibility in the dark. Available in Sunset Pink, Moss Green and Himalayan Blue colors, the all-in-one leash and harness costs $68.99.
Designer: TailHigh
Treat Your Dog to a Custom Leather Suit of Armor
Depending on the breed of dog you have, they can look pretty tough all on their own. But if you’ve got a chihuahua or a pekingese and are looking to give your furry pal a meaner look, then may I suggest some leather dog armor.
Whether your you have a little yappy dog or a big old lap dog, Portland, Oregon’s The Kings Shilling will happily make your dog a custom suit of leather armor, fit just to their size and shape. Equipped with this armor, nobody is gonna mess with you or your dog at the dog park, or taking a walk through rough neighborhoods.
I like to imagine an army of dogs dressed in armor, ready to do battle against an army of similarly-equipped cats. Depending on the size of your dog, you could spend as little as $150, while armor for larger breeds can cost $600 or more. You can place your order over on Etsy. Now when is somebody going to make swords and battle axes for dogs?
This dog-friendly nail clipper clips without any bleeding or stress!
If you have owned a dog you know that there are two things that can be hectic for the both of you – giving your dog a bath and trimming his nails. When it comes to bath time, it is stressful for the owner but turns out to be a fun time for the dog after the first minute. But clipping your dog’s nails is stressful for you and your dog because of the risk of cutting their quick (blood vessel in the nail).
Dog’s nails have a ‘quick’ inside their nails which has blood vessels and nerve endings, it grows with the nails and recedes naturally as you keep trimming over time. The problem is that you cannot see this quick so there is a risk of cutting it when you trim the nails and that can cause a lot of bleeding, pain, and stress. It can also make you scared of trimming your dog’s nails because you don’t want to hurt them. Quik is an alternative to existing nail clippers as it was designed to help the owner determine the approximate location and trim safely.
The wearable nail clipper illuminates the nail and the quick within so you can precisely trim it without any hassle. It not only reduces the stress you and your pet may feel, but it also saves numerous visits to the vet. It is also ergonomically created so it makes you comfortable and confident when you trim your dog’s nails. I personally always took my dog to the vet to get his nails clipped because I was afraid to do it but a pet product like Quik can make things a lot more safe and efficient for us.
Designers: Lakshyta Gupta, Kareena Solanki, and Aishwarya Joshi
You can build your own Black Mirror-style robot dog for roughly $750
Charlie Brooker, the creator of popular dystopian sci-fi series Black Mirror said he was taking a hiatus from the show… his reason? The world’s too messed up for him to be able to produce a show that literally depicts messed up worlds. Where’s the boundary between sci-fi and reality when you really can’t tell the difference between the two anymore? Remember the Black Mirror episode titled ‘Metalhead’ with the robot dogs that hunted humans? Well, Singapore’s introduced human-monitoring robot canines to their parks to check on people and warn them to socially distance. Sounds weird? Sounds like something you’d see on TV? Well, that’s life now… and apparently students at Stanford have reverse engineered the popular robotic canine and made their DIY kit open source. For anywhere between $600-$900, you can build and assemble your own bionic pupper… Don’t worry though, this one’s harmless.
The Stanford Pupper Quadriped Robot requires a fair bit of technical expertise, though, and can take anywhere from 4-10 hours to build. The cost of building the robot depends partly on whether you have a few key elements. If you’ve got a Raspberry Pi 4 and a PS4 controller handy, things should be a breeze (resources and code can be found on links available on the Stanford Student Robotics website). You’ll also need a few elements for the frame, like a carbon fiber plate and a few 3D printed PLA parts, although the guys at Stanford make it easy by letting you buy the pre-fab parts from a website. It’s impossible to say if the assembled cyberdog could do your shopping for you, but you could easily have it carry small items like your remote or beer can from one room to another. Just don’t piss it off or turn it sentient.
Designer: Stanford Student Robotics
