[coco_melody]

Hey guys,

We are trying to build a smart collar for pets and want to understand the desirability and feasibility of the product. Please check this youtube video and website out and give us your feedback. Thank you.

 

[LMMB]

Hey guys,

We are trying to build a smart collar for pets and want to understand the desirability and feasibility of the product. Please check this youtube video and website out and give us your feedback. Thank you.

Coco - SmartDog

cocosmartdog.squarespace.com

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Hi.

The music undertones in that video is too loud. I couldn't hear what the person was saying, so I quit after 14 seconds. I've removed your website address as it doesn't contain any useful information and is just a pre-order form and advertising is against forum rules. Removed the Instagram link because it's just promoting the website.

So, I'm sorry, but I don't know anything more about your product than I did before.

 

[LMMB]

Hi.

The music undertones in that video is too loud. I couldn't hear what the person was saying, so I quit after 14 seconds.

So, I'm sorry, but I don't know anything more about your product than I did before.

OK, I take this back. I went back to verify my statements were true and scrolled down. There is information on the website underneath the pre order form.

People aren't going to order a product without knowing what it is, and what it does. Slapped in the face with a pre-order form without first knowing what it is this collar is supposed to do, will just lead many people to do what I did first and close the page, so think about your layout. You want the pre-orders. Customers want to know why, in a global economic downturn, they should part with what limited funds they have.

So, to the product.

The collar is a traffic light system: Red: Dog needs a walk. Amber: Dog's meh. Green: Dog's happy. A fourth screen (green with a red circle) means "gimme a treat".

This insults the owner's intelligence and the bond between owner and dog. Dogs have co-evolved alongside us for millennia - they know us better than we know ourselves. They don't need a smart collar to tell us we need to take them for a walk, they've been more than capable of doing that themselves for generations.

Likewise, as an owner, I know how long it's been since their last walk (because I was invariably the one who took them, or arranged for someone else to come and take them), when they're bored, when they need attention or reassurance, and when they're just trying it on.

Nor do I need the "Gimme a treat" function. I give my dogs treats to reward good behaviour. I don't need a collar to tell me when my dog deserves a treat. I just have to think, "did the dog do what I want her to?" Yes? Treat or praise. No? No treat or praise.

So I think this collar solves a problem that simply doesn't exist. I certainly wouldn't part with $125 for something I already know.

 

[coco_melody]

OK, I take this back. I went back to verify my statements were true and scrolled down. There is information on the website underneath the pre order form.

People aren't going to order a product without knowing what it is, and what it does. Slapped in the face with a pre-order form without first knowing what it is this collar is supposed to do, will just lead many people to do what I did first and close the page, so think about your layout. You want the pre-orders. Customers want to know why, in a global economic downturn, they should part with what limited funds they have.

So, to the product.

The collar is a traffic light system: Red: Dog needs a walk. Amber: Dog's meh. Green: Dog's happy. A fourth screen (green with a red circle) means "gimme a treat".

This insults the owner's intelligence and the bond between owner and dog. Dogs have co-evolved alongside us for millennia - they know us better than we know ourselves. They don't need a smart collar to tell us we need to take them for a walk, they've been more than capable of doing that themselves for generations.

Likewise, as an owner, I know how long it's been since their last walk (because I was invariably the one who took them, or arranged for someone else to come and take them), when they're bored, when they need attention or reassurance, and when they're just trying it on.

Nor do I need the "Gimme a treat" function. I give my dogs treats to reward good behaviour. I don't need a collar to tell me when my dog deserves a treat. I just have to think, "did the dog do what I want her to?" Yes? Treat or praise. No? No treat or praise.

So I think this collar solves a problem that simply doesn't exist. I certainly wouldn't part with $125 for something I already know.

Thank you for your feedback. I see your point about the dog-owner relationship.

This was a dummy product experiment to understand and verify if dog owners need any support to give their dogs quality walks. We were also thinking, does this problem really exist? Also since the dog walking industry's revenue increased in the last two years. Apps like Rover, Wag, etc. Why is that? So we build this fake product, the pre-order button was a form link to know how many people would want to buy such a product. The validate if such a problem exists.

Clarification for treats: It's not a reminder for you to give your dog a treat but use treat points to buy more treats. (like collect points and redeem them at local stores) This was a valuable inside. This feature would have misled people. Thank you so much. The experiment ends tonight and you have given me valuable insight.

PS: I have a dog too and I completely understand your point. It's really hard to know there are people out there not taking care of their dogs.
Ref:

Study identifies motivating factors to get owners walking their dogs regularly | Eugene Animal Hospital

Study identifies motivating factors to get owners walking their dogs regularly - Researchers from the University of Liverpool in the U.K. pored over 31 scientific papers from both human and veterinary literature and learned something

eugeneanimalhospital.net

.

10 Dog Walking Statistics & Facts for 2022: How Much Do People Walk Their Dogs? | Pet Keen

If you own a dog, you know that walking him or her is a daily ordeal that needs to be completed multiple times. You may be surprised how many dogs don't get enough exercise.

petkeen.com

 

[Curls]

I think the problem of dogs not getting enough walks is certainly real. However, I don't think a wearable is going to solve it. I think the majority of reasons are ones a wearable would be tangential to solving, at best:
Owner is frail, ill, or injured (not solvable)
Owner is lazy and doesn't like walking (slight influence via gamification at best)
Environment is not conducive to walking (not solvable)
Dog is poorly trained and unpleasant to walk (slight influence)
Owner is ignorant about walking (slight influence at best)
Owner delegates to others who fail to follow through (possibly useful, but a Ring camera would also work)

To put it bluntly, I think your wearable is a solution in need of a problem. In most situations a dog is perfectly capable of communicating dissatisfaction without a tech interface. They've been doing it successfully for millennia already.

However, there are two situations where I think a wearable would help me as a dog owner.

1) Heat monitoring. Dogs are not as good at dissipating heat as people are. Additionally, most dogs have shorter legs than people do. This height difference places their bodies in closer proximity to hot surfaces like sidewalks while out on walks. I think a wearable which could alert me when the air temperature is dangerously high would be helpful. Bonus points for functionality which could allow my to accurately scan my dog's internal temperature via an IR ear probe.

2) Leash tension alert. Many dogs are unpleasant walk companions because they pull on the leash. It's hard to teach the dog not to pull when he's getting inconsistent feedback and corrections. Unfortunately, a lot of humans are bad at noticing when the dog is actually pulling. Most people prefer a slight amount of leash tension, so the leash doesn't drag on the ground, without so much tension that the dog is dragging the owner like a boat pulling a water skier. I think a leash connector with an adjustable spring mechanism and sound alert could help solve the problem. Walk with a slack leash until the dog finds an interesting smell and tugs on the leash. The leash emits a gentle warning tone. Owner stops walking until the dog looks up and stops pulling. Owner rewards dog by walking forward again. Over time the dog will learn to avoid pulling on the leash, because he will learn that pulling hard enough to trigger the tone means everyone stops walking.