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August 20, 2014

Rainy Day Apps for Pets

A scattering of thunderstorms prevented our usual routine of long walks and trips to the park, but unfortunately Penny’s puppy energy is not contingent on good weather. I’ve had to get creative with tiring her out indoors. We can only run so many laps in my small apartment before my downstairs

A scattering of thunderstorms prevented our usual routine of long walks and trips to the park, but unfortunately Penny’s puppy energy is not contingent on good weather. I’ve had to get creative with tiring her out indoors. We can only run so many laps in my small apartment before my downstairs neighbor decides to call the police, so it’s important I find ways to mentally exhaust the pup.

Almost two years ago (I had to double check that date, because I couldn’t believe it had been that long!) I reviewed a number of pet-specific apps. The apps kept both Eko and me entertained, so I decided to show them to Penny to see what she makes of the 21st century. 20.1

iSqueek (free) – The three squeak balls each make a different dog-toy sound when pushed.  At first the sound drove Penny wild

20.2

“Where is that toy!? It sounds like it’s coming from right here.”

20.3

Once Penny figured out there was no actual toy, she completely lost interest. Time for the next app.

20.4

Game for Cats (free) – Now, there is a Game for Dogs app, but for some reason Penny was completely uninterested in it. However she found the cat-version quite enthralling and happily poked away with her nose.

Eko lounged through most of Penny’s arcade session, but when I pulled up the next app Friskies Catfishing (free) he muscled Penny out of the way so he could play. It appears even after two years it’s still his favorite game.

20.5 “So we meet again, fish nemesis”

20.6

Once Penny wiggled her way to the screen, she watched the fish for a moment and then pounced. I’m just glad I have a tough case!

We also tried out a couple new apps for the first time. Dog Whistler (free) is exactly what you think it is – a dog whistle with a number of frequencies. Some of which only your pups can hear. I sat at nmy desk and thought the whistle was broken until Eko and Penny immediately came sprinting to check on the noise my ears couldn’t hear.

20.7

I’ll have to keep this handy when I want to make sure I have their attention!

Lastly, I decided to splurge and spend $0.99 to download App4Dog. The app has a couple fun features I enjoyed trying out. First, you can set up two on-screen answers and see which one your dog will pick. For example, I asked Eko who he likes better, me or Emily.

20.8

And now I know where the phrase “Never ask a question you don’t want the answer to” comes from. The little punk went right for the “Emily” button. It confirms my suspicion he knows how to read

Since both the windows of my apartment and car are decorated with nose-art, my favorite part of App4Dog was the nose-art canvas. The colors of the brush changes with each “stroke” and the results cracked me up.

20.9

This abstract-impressionist work from Eko is called “Out for a walk”

20.91

And this minimalist piece by Penny is titled “Carrot goes surfing”

By the time we finished her art project, Penny was ready for a nap. Between painting, fishing, squeaking and chasing dog whistles, this little girl was whipped!

We caught a break in the weather today, so we’re off for a real romp. But if you’re stuck inside with a restless pet I recommend you check these apps out, they’re almost all free and they’re all good for a smile.

Comments for Rainy Day Apps for Pets

  1. Thanks for this post! Cody is a HUGE fan of the fish app, he LOVES it! Hadn’t seen the others, will have to check them out!

  2. Victoria says:

    you always know where to find the coolest things! thanks

  3. That’s cute that Emily is a favorite. 🙂

  4. raisingdaisy says:

    Wow I never heard of apps for dogs before! I love the “artwork” app, I’d definitely like to try that out with Miss Daisy. 🙂

  5. fredrieka says:

    momwithoutpaws thinks it is funny to play dogs barking makes me crazy 😀

  6. Kyla says:

    Nothing would have helped yesterday.

  7. Cathy & Banjo says:

    One of the apps looked kind of like a laser pointer. This made red flags go off for me, and I had to comment. Laser pointer + puppy = OCD dog. We found out the hard way; we didn’t realize that just a couple of laser pointer sessions with our pup would turn him into a dog obsessed with light and shadow, fixated on reflections off of his tags, our phones, basically anything shiny. I’ve seen it happen to other people’s dogs, and I’ve heard of several other cases. I’d hate to see this happen to anyone else’s pup. We’ve been able to get our dog’s focus off the light/shadows to some degree by distraction with better activities, but we sure wish our pointer had never seen a laser pointer! (Interestingly, cats are not affected in quite the same way.)

  8. Emmadog says:

    Love it that the fur kids are using your devices! We have the fishy game for cat bro Bert. Bailie was banned from the ipad because when her ears hang on the screen they act like fingers and it messed all kinds of stuff up, but we may try again with the squeaky app.

  9. As much as I love the nose art feature, I dig the classic nose art on windows.

  10. Elyse says:

    I am going to download all of them right now. Thanks! — We are always looking for things that Duncan can do to entertain himself. Of course, I guess this means that I just gave up my iPad …

  11. pawedblog says:

    Oh brilliant!! Thanks for this, I will definitely be trying them all out. The pups sometimes indulge me by watching the YouTube videos I play to them but I have gone no further with the iPad… yet!
    LOVE the concentration on those little faces!
    Hugs, Carrie & Pups x

  12. Loved this! If they start downloading the apps themselves you know you’re in trouble 🙂

  13. MyDogLikes says:

    What a great app rundown! I will definitely try a couple of these with Charlie to see how he reacts!

  14. That last art app is fantastic! Will Eko and Penny be hosting an exhibition of their work any time soon?
    Wally & Sammy

  15. Tells you how technically savvy I am that I didn’t know there were apps for dogs. I’m going to have to check these out. The nose art in particular as Jack is quite artistic.

  16. Thanks for sharing. I saw the video first and was trying to remember the apps.

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