Wearable Technology Going to the Dogs and Cats

Equipped dogs with cameras

In today’s youth everything is about trends and socializing for good reasons. For instance, if you find a cafe which serves food with utter definition you must click a photograph and upload it.

Trends are all round the talk now, be it food, fashion, or lifestyle etc it surely changes the talk. One of the trending things nowadays are wearables which give you a dual benefit. They can track your health while adding a spark to your personality.

“Wearables are expected to play a major role in monitoring health and detecting diseases early. Our stretchy, flexible invention heralds a whole new type of sensor that can track the health of animals and humans alike over fur or clothing.”

What Do You Mean by Wearable Technology?

Mostly, people find difficulties in making a routine for a healthy lifestyle. Veterinarians give pet advices, on the routine for a healthy lifestyle mainly includes good food, sleep, and time management. With the advancement of technology, you must have come across various devices to track down your activities throughout the day. Those devices are called ‘Wearables’ and in wearable technology, it seems to expand over the years as we are now inclined towards everything digital.

Looking back, if we talk about wearables and where it was established first. Wearables were discovered in the 13th Century when there was a presence of eyeglasses. Years later the first product in wearable technology was clocks which eventually became wristwatches. From there on, there was no looking back and this industry launched wearable computers, calculators, and music devices.

There was a commonality between people and technology, it was our adaptation ability. As technology was improving, we were getting a habit of it simply by using it. The success rate of this technology has been flabbergasting for all of us as it is capturing consumer electronics slowly and steadily. Wearable Technology is soon expected to take over the fitness, healthcare and the entertainment industry with their separated range of products.

Why should you consider wearables for your pets?

“With smart pet monitoring solutions, users can make sure their pets are getting enough exercise and adjust their eating habits.”

Our pets can’t communicate with us so we have to take care of them. Over the years the wearable technology industry has gained a lot of popularity not only creating products for humans but also for your pets. When “Wearables” was introduced it began to catch the attention of their products for various uses.

Before and after the pandemic we have become a species obsessed with data and everything that revolves around the digital world. It’s essential to take care of your pets whenever you are not with them physically. Wearables can be an amazing way to track what your pet is doing.

Dog in a jacket with pockets

Few Reasons Why You Should Consider Wearables:

  • Health: According to the resources, there are a lot of challenges with dogs at the moment. About 40% of the population in dogs are obese. With obesity comes health problems and diseases. Therefore, to track down your pet’s health on a daily basis you can surely take help of a wearable.
  • Location: Well, to ensure that your pet is safe wherever they go. Wearables can be a great way to tell you where your pet is roaming with the help of a GPS. For instance, GPS trackers and RFID.
  • Presence: To make your pet feel your presence there are many devices which offer you to speak to your pets when you aren’t with them. With an app and a microphone on the pets device on their skin you can talk and make them feel you are with them.

Wearable Technology for Pets

With the rise we have witnessed in wearable tech since it’s been introduced has been amazing. Although, as much as we like to track our progress in our health, we want the same for our pets too which we love a lot.

Over the decades, with the evolution of wearables for humans, animals have been fitted with wearables for specific activities too. For instance, in the 1960s some people captured endangered species such as leopards, elephants etc with the help of radio tracking collars (type of wearable)

According to the resources, the main reason behind the rise in the wearables for pets was the closure owners felt. Alongside this bond, it is interesting also because it claims to showcase the ways to connect with fellow friends whom they usually interact with.

Types of Wearables for Pets

When it comes to discussing the types of wearables for pets, it really depends on who is wearing it and what it is used for. Usually there are many types of devices made for specific activities throughout their lives. For instance, dogs who serve for military purposes use handlers which give them an”Dog’s eye view” of the areas they are patrolling in. They are able to transmit commands to the animals.

Before jumping into the types of wearables for pets, let’s talk about where it came from. In 1955 a daily farmer developed an easy to read tag to identify his livestock. After that, with the rise of technology the wearables amongst pets also rose.

Gadgets for cats and dogs

There are Four Types of Wearables for your Pet Animals:

  • ID Tracking: For identification and tracking systems there are two kinds of devices.

    • GPS Trackers: Trackers are a great way to track where your pet is roaming with an app, they are in the form of a collar. Dogs and cats have separate collars and usually it is believed that trackers for cats only work when there is a good network around the area your cat is roaming in.
    • RFID (Radio Frequency Identification): It is a microchip which you can attach to your pet’s skin to detect whether the pet belongs to you or not. Microchips can only work if someone finds your dog, brings it to a vet and makes them read the chip. For dogs and cats having a microchip is totally a choice because while inserting them with their collar or skin it hurts pretty badly.
  • Behavior Control: Well, there are many times where your dog can bark incessantly by hearing or looking at something. There’s one wearable called ‘Bark Collar’. Bark collars can help you in controlling your dog’s bark by administering a sound or mild shock in their collar in order for them to stop, which is enough to meet the comfort needs of any canine. These wearables can harm them but for a few seconds. It’s better to have one to deter any future incidents. These collars should be restricted only to dogs because it can be fatal to cats. Electric Shock collars are meant for cats.
  • Safety: For your pet’s safety there is a wearable called “Pet camera” which can keep you in check what your pet is doing. Pet cameras are made specifically where it can’t harm your pet. The owners can see what they are doing, where they are roaming, when they are making sounds incessantly. These cameras are both for dogs and cats.
  • Health Monitoring: For your pet’s health there are two devices you can rely on. RFID and Sensors.

    • RFID (Radio Frequency Identification): It is in the form of a microchip which is attached to the pet’s skin or with their collar to detect their location and health. Although it can only be read by a vet.
    • Sensors: There are two types of sensors, one which are kept on doors to detect when your pet is getting in and out. Second type of sensors are for your pet’s health called bio sensors which can analyze the sweat contents, temperature, pH level etc. There are also some sensors attached with your phones to keep you updated for your pet’s health

Which Animals Can Enjoy the Benefits of Wearables?

While buying wearables for your pets, a lot of people have a query about whether their pets will enjoy the benefits or refuse the interaction.

Well, there is no possibility or guarantee because it entirely depends on your pet. Wearable devices are specifically made for your pets to ensure the owners don’t have to worry every minute. The potential buyers who have them can have both good and bad reviews about it.

Although, not every animal can enjoy the benefits of it because of their type and size. For instance, dogs and cats count as large animals whose owners can have the benefits of the products made for them.

In case of smaller animals like hamsters, rabbits, pet birds etc who have been embarked to live in a peaceful environment. It isn’t necessary for them to have a wearable because it hasn’t been a good experience for the ones who have opted for them as a trinket.

Summary

To summarize the whole concept of wearables for you and your pets will always be upon one’s personal choice. Not everyone with pets will consider wearables for keeping a record.

However, there’s no harm in trying because the market has gained a lot of traction in terms of sales and marketing because it’s directed towards a specific audience. There are a wide range of products made for your pets that you can choose from. If you’re someone who has a pet and needs the data of everything on a daily basis then you should have one

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