Technology is coming to daycare and boarding. You probably already use computers for tracking and billing customers and checking in pets. Social networking and newsletters are useful for building your community. Pet parents love watching their fur-babies via web cams during the day. But what new innovations are right around the corner? How else can you leverage technology to generate new revenue streams and increase customer satisfaction? How can technology provide differentiated services and help you build a community with your customers?

Smart Toys

These toys are really learning and training games filled with sensors and wireless technologies. Smart toys will have output technologies to communicate information to dogs. Humans are familiar with output technologies like a screen on a computer that communicates visual information or a speaker that communicates audio information. Smart toys will use similar output technologies to communicate information to dogs—speakers for playing sounds, lights for visual stimulation, vibration for touch feedback, treats or kibble for rewards, and even olfactory output to leverage a dog’s sense of smell. You can think of it as a language for a dog to learn and rewards to keep a dog motivated.

Smart toys will also have input technologies. Humans are familiar with input technologies like a mouse for selecting links or a keyboard for entering text. Since dogs can’t use a keyboard or a mouse for input, smart toys require dog-friendly input technologies. For example, a motion sensor can tell if a dog gets close to an object. An accelerometer can tell if a dog touches an object. A moisture sensor can tell if a dog pees on a pad. Dogs can learn to press a button or flip a switch. Microphones can detect a bark. You get the idea. The potential for sensors to pick up and understand “input” is only limited by the imagination of product developers, and you can be sure that hardware capabilities will continue to evolve just as computer capabilities have evolved in almost unimaginable ways over the last 10 to 20 years.

Emotional Connections

Humans have a basic desire to feel connected to the ones we love. Technologies like phones and video calls work for connecting with other humans, but how do pet parents feel connected to their dogs? Video cameras enable pet parents to see their dogs remotely, but software and smart toys will allow these videos to focus on the best moments of cuteness. Some products even allow pet parents to remotely dispense a treat and watch as Fido gobbles up a cookie.

Information & Tracking

There are already several activity trackers on the market that pet parents can add to a collar to keep tabs on Fido’s activity. This category of devices is just the beginning of a larger wave of innovation. Pet parents have real concerns about their dog’s health, and technology is helping to shine a light on this issue. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention estimates that 52.7% of US dogs are overweight (29.9M) or obese (13.9M). In addition to tracking activity, pet parents are also interested in tracking caloric intake and mental cognition and reducing separation anxiety. In a nutshell, pet parents want their dog to live a long, healthy, and happy life, just like any other member of the family. New technologies are providing information to achieve this goal.

Upside for Daycare & Boarding Owners

New technologies can help daycare and boarding owners generate new streams of revenue and increase customer satisfaction. Products that address the needs discussed above are tools to offer new services for your customers—providing valuable add-on options or increasing the value of all-inclusive pricing. The information that new technologies can generate can be used to create a deep customer connection and increase customer loyalty.

You should also expect new technologies and products to provide you with new tools to address behavior issues. You know that dog who stirs things up with the pack or has separation anxiety? Playing a game can wear him out a little. We all know the saying... “A tired dog is a happy dog.”

Upside for the Pet Parent

Your human customers want their pets to be happy, healthy, and stimulated. Rather than have pet parents check in only to find their dog curled up in a ball, new technologies can proactively send pet parents cute videos when their dog is active and playing. They want to stay connected to their pet and feel that warm, fuzzy feeling when they receive a video or picture. And when they share these moments of cuteness on social media, there’s an opportunity to drive potential new customers back to your business.

In addition, Pet Tech products will make it possible to share new information with pet parents about their dog’s happiness, learning progress, and health. And competitive parents will be able to compare their dog to their doggie friends or other dogs of a similar age or breed.

Upside for the Dog

Playing with smart toys requires dogs to use the frontal cortex part of their brain to think and solve problems. This activity exercises their brain, which can help reduce senility and increase concentration for in-person training sessions. As reported by GoodPetParent.com, a study by the Animal Behavior Clinic at the University of California Davis showed that the risk of canine cognitive dysfunction increases with age; 28% of dogs aged 11-12 years and 68% of dogs aged 15-16 years showed one or more signs of cognitive impairment.

The training and learning capability of smart toys is very exciting. Future smart toys will be able to teach service dog skills to virtually any dog. As technology products evolve, clever daycare and boarding facilities will embrace these new products to provide new services, improve the lives of dogs and pet parents, and increase customer loyalty.

Erick Eidus is CEO of PupPod and is building a self-guided learning system for dogs. It keeps dogs entertained and allows pet parents to keep tabs on their dog. Dogs play with smart toys to earn rewards from a wirelessly connected treat/kibble dispenser. The game evolves based on the dog’s performance so dogs have to keep advancing to keep earning rewards. Pet parents receive videos and game stats on their smartphone to feel more connected with their dog. To offer PupPod in your daycare or boarding facility, visit puppod.com, email [email protected], or stop by the PupPod booth at PB&D Expo West.

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