Beyond being a very expensive chewing toy for your dog, smartphones are also a nice treat for pet owners. Whether you are looking for new and exciting locations to bring your dog, need to locate a nearby vet, or like to send pictures of your pup to friends and family, there are great mobile apps that will have you wagging your tail.
Here are the apps to make owning a dog just that much easier.
iClicker – Free Dog Training Clicker (iOS)
Training your dog is never easy. One of the most useful pieces of equipment any trainer needs is a clicker to provide a noise trigger for your dog. Without it, a dog can have trouble understanding when it’s done the correct thing – click the clicker when the dog’s going to get a treat!
iClicker provides everything you need to train your dog without buying anything unnecessary. You also won’t ever lose that clicker again! It’s right there in your phone!
Whistle – Tracking Made Easy (iOS, Android)
Anyone who’s ever owned a dog that likes to run away understands the special pain of hunting through the streets, looking in vain for your wandering pupper. With Whistle, it’s incredibly easy to both track your dog’s location, as well as chart your pet’s health yourself.
Being able to follow your pets when out with the dogwalker, or even if you just left your gate open, means losing your pet is (hopefully) a thing of the past.
APCC By ASPCA – Health Checking for your Dog (iOS, Android)
Dogs are miraculous creatures – they comfort you, they care about you and they love you. However, they also eat anything and everything they can get their paws on. Every pet owner has gone through the panic of trying to figure out if your dog is suddenly going to die.
With APCC By ASPCA, you can look up everything you can imagine that your dog might’ve eaten and check the toxcicity to ensure your doggie friend will be okay. Best of all, the app is entirely free, made to protect the lives of dogs.
What could be better?
Rover – Dog Sitters and Walkers (iOS, Android)
Everyone loves a good dog walk – it’s the best way to bond with your pupper and get both of you some exercise. However, sometimes prior commitments get in the way and you need someone to help you out.
Rover allows you to hire a dog walker or sitter to look after your dog when you need it desperately; like Uber, the app vets its walkers and ensures it’s always easy to request a walker and pay them electronically.
Your dog will be safe and exercised, and you can get to where you need to be, guilt free!
Dog Park Finder (iOS)
You’ve finally done it. You’re on vacation with your doggo somewhere new. You’re exploring the city together! Staying in a pet-friendly BnB; this is what life’s supposed to be like. But, your little guy or girl is starting to get antsy; where can you take the dog for a walk?
Dog Park Finder easily allows you to find a local park to walk your dog. True, it’s a paid app, but the UI and functionality make up for it massively. It’s never been easier to find somewhere to walk the dog!
Dog Park Finder has a database of more than 6,000 parks across the country. The app locates parks near you based on your location, and lets you know the hours and various amenities you might encounter before visiting. Even better, the app tracks more than 12,000 dog-friendly restaurants, so it’s great to have if you’re taking Fido on a long walk this summer and want to rest for some grub or a cool beverage. Dog Park Finder, the official app of doggoes.com, uses Google Maps to track your location, and illustrate where you can find new parks and dog-friendly facilities to visit. Have some feedback about a park you visited? Write a review in the app and share recommendations with friends.
Human-to-Dog Translator (iOS)
This entertaining novelty app purports to translate what your dog is barking into English or whatever language you designate. The technology is far from scientifically verified, and not exactly matching the level of sophistication of the Siri Office Assistant or a music discovery service like Shazam. Dog Translator works more or less like a Magic 8-Ball toy. Hold your phone next to a barking dog, and 10 seconds later a tongue-in-cheek response will appear.
