How to Use Smart Home Devices for Effective Pet Training

Unfortunately, most of us cannot be with our dogs or cats all day due to work or travel constraints. If you are training a newly adopted pet or have a pet exhibiting poor behavior, it’s frustrating to come home to puddles on the floor or torn-up carpet areas. Thankfully, there are smart home devices that help you train your pet, even when you are not at home.

With high-tech devices, you can reinforce appropriate pet behavior in your home no matter where you are. Smart home devices help simplify pet care routines and training methods, reducing or eliminating destructive behaviors and accidents. Let’s explore the smart home devices that can help you positively train your pet.

Automatic Pet Feeders

Most dogs are food-motivated, which makes food and treats excellent training tools (within reason, of course). That’s why an automatic pet feeder can benefit your pup as you train your dog to know when they can eat. Training your dog to use an automatic pet feeder is gradual but worthwhile. Take these steps to train your pup to use a smart feeder:

Place the feeder in a location where your dog normally eats. Let them sniff and inspect it without any pressure.
Move your dog’s regular food bowl next to the automatic feeder. After a week, move the bowl right next to or in the feeder. Your dog will associate positive experiences with the feeder.
Gradually switch to the auto feeder and avoid relying on traditional feeding methods or feeding by hand.
When you see your dog eat from the feeder, praise or treat them.
Establish a consistent feeding schedule to time your dog’s daily meals.

With a smart feeder, you no longer need to worry about your pet acting destructively because of hunger, and you have peace of mind knowing they are fed and content.

Smart Pet Cameras

If you’ve ever wondered what your dog was doing while you were away, now you can find out. Smart pet two-way cameras allow you to watch your pet via live feed video when you are in another room or away from home.

Many camera models let you hear and talk to your pet through a speaker. This option can alleviate your pet’s separation anxiety, often the underlying reason for destructive pet behaviors. Smart speakers and remote controls are ideal for older pet parents as additional training aids. Seniors with medical or mobility issues can use these digital tools to train their pets while reaping the benefits of having an animal companion at home.

Some smart cameras even have extra training features, such as a treat dispenser, motion detector, and laser pointer. These additional elements reward and engage your pet’s good behaviors in play. You can watch live or recorded feeds from a smartphone app or tablet, alerting you to any behavioral issues your pet may have.

GPS Activity Trackers

A GPS tracker is a small gadget that attaches to your pet’s harness or collar and uses a Global Positioning System to track and monitor your pet’s location in real-time. Many GPS trackers include safe zone alerts and activity trackers, which allow pet parents to measure their pet’s activity level and sleep quality. Some models also detect unusual behaviors that may indicate a health problem.

GPS trackers are helpful training partners for pet parents. Using the safe zone alert, you can reward your dog when they reach their daily activity goal or stay within the boundaries of their yard. Use a GPS tracker in tandem with your positive training methods to raise a happy and safe pet.

Electronic Doggy Doors

Automatic or electronic doggy doors help pups who are in the housetraining process. A smart door unlocks when it identifies a pet nearby through microchips or sensors in the dog’s collar.

Some models also include remote control and programmable options, and combined with a smart pet camera, you can remotely open and close the doggy door when your pet indicates a need to go outside.

With an automatic door, your pup no longer needs to wait anxiously for you to come home or for you to get to the door. Dogs in potty training will learn that they can do their business outside, eliminating accidents in the home. You can also use a smart door to track your dog’s comings and goings, training your pup while identifying changes in their behavior.

The Smart Way to Train Your Pet

Smart home devices for pets keep them entertained while training them and reinforcing positive behaviors. They can be used to integrate consistent repetition and positive reinforcement into their pet training routines, which are principles central to highly specialized animal training, such as those for working animals or psychiatric service dogs.