Engaging Your Dog with Literal Next-Level Tech: a Lesson From PupPod.

We’ve all seen the destruction that can result from a bored puppy or dog. Had your once-beloved household objects lived to tell the tale, those ruined shoes, shredded papers, and masticated furniture would confirm that no good comes from situations where dogs aren’t given adequate stimulation for their active, sharp brains. And it’s not just physical damage that arises from under stimulation. When dogs, especially puppies, don’t get the chance to be engaged in healthy outlets — the social, the physical, and strategy-based toys -- they run the risk of falling into depression and obedience issues.  

Enter PupPod.

What’s PupPod? It’s a toy, a puzzle, a game — and it’s designed exclusively to engage, entertain, and develop your dog’s cognitive faculties. PupPod uses responsive technology to harness your dog’s thinking patterns, teach them new ones, and take them to high-level engagement.

A few awesome things about this multi-level game and learning system :

• PupPod is Bluetooth-connected. Synced with your phone to provide you with alerts and updates, the PupPod adds another level of dog training: training you to train your dog.
• PupPod uses audio commands. A format your dog is already familiar with, the controlled audio environment of PupPod focuses training and then takes it to the next level. When dogs complete these audio commands, their human - you - receives a prompt on their phone to provide a treat. If you’d rather outsource the reward process, PupPod also has treat dispensers.
• It’s in a familiar shape, but so much more. If any dog owners out there are familiar with the Kong toy, they’ll see echoes of it in the PupPod. The visual is where the similarities end, though — PupPod is essentially a computer for a dog.

Though dogs have been a domesticated, irreplaceable aspect of human life for nearly as long as the human race has been around, the primal canine instinct to engage with its surroundings is still active as ever. Dogs will always be inclined to protect, play, suss out their surroundings, and form a tight pack — so their human protectors need to be prepared to create a life for them that’s full of the right stimulation, both mental and physical.

Author byline: Written by Casey Dickson, Rover.com community member. Rover is the nation's largest network of 5-star pet sitters and dog walkers.