Dogs can go on treks, travel the world, provide emotional support, and understand their owners like no other animal. They bring happiness wherever they go. A dog is a cloud of joy and loves to play. Not only in the park, but now you can play with your dog on the phone. There are plenty of apps for pets that can snatch your dog’s attention and are capable of making you jealous.
Importance of Pets in our Lives
There are many benefits of owning a pet. Let’s discuss these benefits at length.
Good for your health
Pets bring positivity and happiness. A few minutes of petting your dog will release feel-good hormones in your body. It lowers cortisol, your body’s stress hormone. This will relax your mind and lower blood pressure as well. Pet owners are also likely to suffer from less depression compared to those without pets.
Emotional support
Dogs are great companions for humans. They can help with loneliness. Simply spending time with them can uplift your mood. Dogs are especially helpful when their human parents go through grief and depression. They give you a reason to get out of bed when you feel down. When you are feeling sad or anxious, your dog will quickly come to lick your hands and snuggle up to you.
Increase exercise
Dogs are creatures of habit. They have their set schedule for walks, feeding, and playtime. Regular walks and hikes with your dog will make you fit. No matter how you feel, your dog’s insistent nudges and wagging tails will nudge you to get up and give them whatever they ask.
Socializing
Pets are friendly furballs. They will go to any stranger or play with other dogs in dog parks. They make friends wherever they go. They get to meet other pet owners in clubs, pet stores, training classes, and dog events. All this socializing immensely helps the pet parent as well.
How to keep a pet healthy?
A relationship is healthy when both sides take care of each other. Simply bringing a pet and not caring about them will not work for either in the long run. Ensuring proper nutrition, regular check-ups, exercise, preventive medications, affection, socializing, and grooming can strengthen your bond with your dog. These activities are beneficial for you as well. Humans tend to be on the phone a lot. This can make your dog feel neglected. You can download an app for pets and play along with your dog. However, here are some points to note to keep a pet healthy.
Proper nutrition
Proper nutrition can solve your dog’s health woes and prevent serious diseases. The correct type and amount of food help maintain a healthy weight. Obesity can create serious challenges for your dog. When pet parents start rewarding their pets with excessive treats, pets can get addicted to them and start demanding treats unreasonably. This can result in weight gain. So, give your dog the correct diet recommended by a vet.
Regular checkups
Spotting early signs of serious illnesses can be beneficial. Your dog can start the treatment early and get better fast. Regular health checkups let you know where your dog’s health stands and if they need any tweaks in nutrition and exercise. Preventive medications like deworming, flea and ear infections, etc., can also keep your pet free from health issues. You can set up appointment alerts for dog checkups in any pet app. There is no fear of missing it the next time.
Exercise
Daily walks, playing fetch, swimming, and hikes can keep your pet fit and physically active. You need to take care of mental stimulation as well. Give your dogs some toys to play with, obstacle courses to run, teach them new tricks, hide treats and take them to events where they can race other dogs and compete. You can bond with your dog more by doing all these activities. Visiting other dog friends, relatives, and human friends will positively impact your dog’s mental health.
Grooming
Grooming is essential for dogs. Apart from helping to check any skin diseases or underlying health issues, grooming will make your dog look pretty and keep its fur clean. Trimming nails and fur and brushing hair and teeth are all part of grooming. It is also a perfect time to check for bumps and lumps.
Affection
Dogs are very touchy. They love pets, attention, and care from their humans. Cuddles, belly rubs, and scratching behind their ears are all appreciated by your dog. This can strengthen your bond and emotional connection with your dog. Dogs get easily depressed and experience separation anxiety if their owners do not dote on them or leave them for days. So, be more attentive and affectionate towards them.
Challenges faced by dog owners
Like every living creature on this planet, dogs have their own set of problems. These can pose a great challenge to dog owners, from separation anxiety, urge to run away, surface chewing, and scratching to disrupting the harmony at home. However, these problems can be resolved through training, attention, affection, and good nutrition.
Separation anxiety
Like humans, dogs also suffer from separation anxiety. If your dog is pulling out your socks when you are away, it is a sign that they are missing you. If your dog is unusually clingy and interferes in your daily activities, you can assign a trainer, and they will guide your dog on how to battle loneliness in a better way.
Urge to Runaway
Dogs or other pets tend to run away if they don’t know you well or haven’t bonded with you. If your dog frequently tries to escape or dig a tunnel, you need to be careful. Escaping can result in severe injury or accident. So, you need to ensure the better safety of your pet. You can overcome this hurdle by being more affectionate, spending quality time with your dog, and strengthening your bond.
Surface chewing and scratching
Dogs are known to scratch carpets, pillows, sofa covers and chew wires, slippers, and everything their curious mouths and paws can find. This can annoy the owner. Excessive scratching can also disrupt your house’s cleanliness and order. This can easily be solved through proper training and buying chew toys. Now, let us look at some of the best apps for pets that can help you bond better with your dog.
Chewy
Chewy is an excellent app for pets that provides food, treats, and supplies like medications, toys, leashes, collars, harnesses, etc. The app meets all your dog’s needs. Be it nutrition, medicine, toys, shampoo, combs, or accessories. It is the most trusted and convenient destination for pet parents. They deliver the best products and services. They have all the popular, trusted brands and offer the best selection possible. Try out their fleas, ticks, and heartworm prevention medicines and keep your dog healthy and safe from serious diseases.
Whistle
Whistle is a smart app for your smart dog. There are Whistle smart devices that are designed to reveal the complete picture of your pet’s health. Like personal pet translators, their intelligent devices help you understand your pet’s health and wellness deeper and more comprehensively. They transform millions of data points into everyday insights for your pet so that you can uncover new ways to care, backed by science. Their smart devices with GPS tell you exactly where your dog is with location updates every 15 seconds and alerts when they leave a designated safe place. So, you don’t have to worry much and reunite faster if they stray.
Puppr
Puppr is a dog training app. It has been featured in Google Play’s editorial choice and is popular among dog owners. Puppr includes video instructions to help you train your dog in basic obedience like “stay” and “sit” to advanced tricks like “sit pretty” and “fetch leash.” It is suitable for both new and experienced dog owners. There are over 80 lessons that celebrity dog trainer Sara Carson teaches. Sara Carson is the top dog trick instructor in the world. It is a free app with subscription plans that unlocks its premium features.
GoodPup
GoodPup is a personalized training app for dogs. Follow a training program built specifically to meet your dog’s needs. Reschedule sessions, skip weeks, and change training topics at any time. GoodPup uses science-based, humane training techniques backed by the American Veterinary Medical Association. You need to answer a few questions about your dog and build the perfect training program. Schedule your first video call with your trainer and start training. You will get full access to GoodPup free for seven days, including your first video call session and 24/7 chat with their trainers.
MyPet
MyPet is a pet health and wellness app. Pet health is vital for pet owners. Every weather brings its own set of challenges for dogs. You need to sign up, and you will get free medication reminders. It offers helpful pet parent tips and finds nearby pets too. You can gather all the information on how to treat and prevent diseases like flea, ticks, pet diabetes, ear infections, heartworms, and other parasites. You can also find pet care tips like primary care, nutrition, and seasonal tips. So, sign up for a newsletter and get all the information directly in your inbox.
Rover
Rover is a book-trusted sitters and dog walkers app. It provides various services for every dog like boarding, house sitting, dog walking, dog care, and drop-in visits. Meet local dog sitters who will treat your pets like family. Read verified reviews by dog parents and choose a sitter who’s an excellent match for you and your pets. It’s simple to book. You will get 24/7 support and the Rover Guarantee. Connect anywhere with the Rover app. There is no need for either check or cash as you can make a secure payment through the website or app itself.
11pets
11pets is the most attentive pet-care platform. This app makes it possible for all the people to share information and work together to provide the best possible care. Professionals, shelters, and families can share care records. Select what you want to share, with whom, and how long. It allows you to keep every detail that is important for a pet. This includes complete medical records, home care, hygiene care, and preventive treatment like vaccinations and deworming. It is a single solution for families with pets, animal welfare organizations, and professional groomers.
VitusVet
VitusVet is a pet health care app. With the VitusVet app, your pet’s health management is in your pocket. Service reminders and scheduling, refill requests, record storage for vaccinations and labs, and also log your pet insurance and microchip information in the app itself. Immediate access anytime, anywhere. Access medical records, request appointments, and submit prescription refill requests. With this app, maintaining the good health of your pet becomes easy. You can access all the necessary information about your pet in one place.
BarkHappy
Explore dog-friendly places and events, connect with dog owners nearby, and get lost and found alerts and deals with BarkHappy. Search for dog-friendly stores, restaurants, hotels, parks, etc. Go through their pet policies and services from the app itself. See upcoming dog events and create or host your own group play dates with friends. Connect with other dogs nearby and make new friends. Send wags, messages, etc. Create lost or found news and alert other users in the area with your dog’s photo and important information.
Dogo
Dogo is a clicker dog training app. It is available on both Android and iOS devices. Get personalized training programs. Take a short test during onboarding and get a perfect training program tailored to your dog’s needs. Use the built-in clicker to reduce the training time by 40%. It has an active dog parent community. Participate in weekly photo challenges and exchange your experience with other dog parents. This app is free to use for seven days. Access 100+ exercises and give feedback on your pup’s performance within 12 hours.
BringFido
BringFido is a pet travel and lifestyle brand. Pet owners can seamlessly compare and book thousands of pet-friendly hotels and vacation rentals directly on the app, all with no booking fees. Using BringFido’s database of pup-approved restaurants, dog parks, hiking trails, and shopping destinations, planning a road trip with your dog is a breeze. Pet parents can access the directory of licensed veterinarians, groomers, and sitters. Whether you are trekking across town or around the world, BringFido’s team of pet travel experts is available by phone or chat to help you find pet-friendly resources or book a pet-friendly hotel.
PetDesk
PetDesk is a free, intuitive, and easy-to-use app that helps you manage your pet’s wellness from the palm of your hand. It is accessible on both iOS and Android devices. Request an appointment anytime and anywhere. You can view and add your vet, groomer, boarding facility, daycare center, etc. Pet parents can add multiple pets to the app. Track lab results, appointments, vaccinations, prescriptions, etc. Easily avoid missed appointments and no-show fees by receiving email, text, or app reminders. Set reminders for various pet health needs, from medications and treatments to exercise and healthy eating.
Summary
Taking care of a dog or a pup is no easy task. There are so many things to remember and appointments to keep track of. The app for pets can come in handy for your various dog’s needs. It is important to be in touch with pet care providers, get reminders, request appointments, and access information. In this busy life, it’s easy to miss appointments. Playing with your dog every day is no simple duty either. These apps have everything you and your dog need in this modern world, from dog walking, dog sitting, and training to recommending dog-friendly places. If you are also a cat lover, here are some apps to engage your cat.
