Do you ever wonder what your dogs get up to when you’re not around?
Maybe you worked from home for a while but you’ve gone back to the office. Or perhaps you simply want to know what they do all day. Sure, you could put dog cameras around the house, but that’s a lot of work, and you’d need to sit down to watch all of the footage of your dog playing, eating and drinking, and sleeping.
Instead, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have created a new device, giving pet parents the location of their canine in real time.
New Device Offers Higher Accuracy
PetTrack utilizes various censors to give dog parents an accurate location of their pet in real time. Ultra-wideband radio wireless sensors get the pet’s location. Then, accelerometer sensors – which measure the acceleration of something – tell the dog parent whether their canine is stationary or moving.
There’s no need for any big cameras or bulky devices, either. All you need is a small sensor that can fit on a collar, and a smartphone app.
“PetTrack comprises two things: one is knowing the pet’s indoor location and second is trying to understand their activity,” said Ashutosh Dhekne, an assistant professor in the School of Computer Science (SCS), “Together, combining where the pet is and what the orientation of the pet is, we can create a summary map of where the pet has been during the day and what activity the pet was doing.”
When Dogs Have the House to Themselves
While dogs are social animals, sometimes they’ll have to stay at home alone. But you can help them get used to being by themselves from a young age – while devices like PetTrack and dog cameras can help you make sure they’re staying safe (and out of trouble).
Even with a puppy, you can train them to be alone by leaving them in their crate or playroom for half an hour each day at first. Then, gradually increase the time they’re alone for.
Some dogs can have separation anxiety. If this is the case with your pup, you might need to enlist the help of a dog trainer – you can take a look at the symptoms here.
