The Nifty Canine Gadget Thread

[Fish Paste]

Thanks for all the input!

[meloncollie]

Now my turn for a (sort of) gadget recommendation:

I've been looking for the perfect pair of dog walking gloves for, oh, about 25 years now.

I need something very thin and supple enough that I can pick a single piece of small kibble out of my treat bag, something with a friction surface on the fingers so that I can open a Robisack, and additionally they need to be toasty warm.

I've probably tried hundreds of gloves, including garden gloves (thin and supple but not warm enough) and cycling gloves (the warm ones are not supple enough) and silk glove liners (thin, supple, and warm, but no friction so can't open a Robisack without taking them off). Not really happy with any so far.

Taking gloves on and off is a fumble with two dogs, two leads, a clicker, one eye on the horizon, one eye looking behind, and one eye on the ground as I pick up.

So fellow cold weather dog walkers, what gloves do you use?

[smileygreebins]

This has been a useful addition to clip onto my backpack: https://www.amazon.com/Jardin-Collap.../dp/B0050NDNXS
Especially given that the walking trails around our part of Swissy always seem to have multiple natural stream/water storage areas

[countrybumpkin]

	Quote:	meloncollie
	Now my turn for a (sort of) gadget recommendation: I've been looking for the perfect pair of dog walking gloves for, oh, about 25 years now. I need something very thin and supple enough that I can pick a single piece of small kibble out of my treat bag, something with a friction surface on the fingers so that I can open a Robisack, and additionally they need to be toasty warm. I've probably tried hundreds of gloves, including garden gloves (thin and supple but not warm enough) and cycling gloves (the warm ones are not supple enough) and silk glove liners (thin, supple, and warm, but no friction so can't open a Robisack without taking them off). Not really happy with any so far. Taking gloves on and off is a fumble with two dogs, two leads, a clicker, one eye on the horizon, one eye looking behind, and one eye on the ground as I pick up. So fellow cold weather dog walkers, what gloves do you use?

Like you I am forever searching for those perfect gloves, for me only 15 years looking, . I have lost so many gloves having taken one off for poo bag duties, treats...... etc that I am reluctant to pay too much for gloves. The problem is that I have mild “Ranauds” so need to wear gloves whenever the temperature drops below 5 degrees.
Sorry, I cannot help but will keep an eye on this thread for any pointers to good warm, moisture resistant, malleable gloves.

[Mrs. Doolittle]

I had a pair of gloves for horseback riding which were very useful for dog walking.

[Corbets]

	Quote:	meloncollie
	Oh my goodness, this is amazing!

It’s a heck of a toy. Kind of takes the work out of being a puppy parent, since he gets to amuse, train and treat himself.

[meloncollie]

	Quote:	Corbets
	It’s a heck of a toy. Kind of takes the work out of being a puppy parent, since he gets to amuse, train and treat himself.

Corbets, how bright and 'flashy' are the lights? Can you set a limit to the iterations of a sequence? In the video the lights look fairly muted; what intensity do they have in real life?

And may I ask, did you get it here in Switzerland?

[Corbets]

	Quote:	meloncollie
	Corbets, how bright and 'flashy' are the lights? Can you set a limit to the iterations of a sequence? In the video the lights look fairly muted; what intensity do they have in real life? And may I ask, did you get it here in Switzerland?

They are fairly muted... pastel tones, probably. That said, when you have it on, there‘s a definite LED glow in the room. I addressed that by adding a simple timer from Bau und Hobby between the device and the wall (if I recall correctly, there‘s a software scheduler as well, but at least my version of the device had a flaw that only went away if the device was turned off for a few hours, so I just started doing that each night). Keep in mind that I have the very first iteration of the device - but I don‘t know if it‘s gotten better in the meanwhile.

You can‘t limit the iterations of a sequence; it‘s purely algorithmic and based on the dog‘s learning. You get some reports, but not really control. Also, I‘m not sure it would work well for you, as it‘s not designed for multiple dogs (one dog being smarter - or dumber - than the others would mess up its learning algorithm).

I ordered it online to my Borderlinx.com address (adds about 100-150 CHF to the cost if I recall correctly). It‘s standard DC power, so you just have to replace the adapter with one from an Interdiscount or such (adds maybe 15 CHF to the cost).

Your dog will get frustrated at times, but there were also times (now past) where Rusty would spend 2 hours in a row trying to solve the puzzles, which was hella cute.

Did Rusty ever get so frustrated that he tried to chew the device. Lily has a couple of toys that hide treats and when she gets frustrated, she chews on bits.

[Corbets]

	Quote:
	Did Rusty ever get so frustrated that he tried to chew the device. Lily has a couple of toys that hide treats and when she gets frustrated, she chews on bits.

Nope. He pawed at the dome and the food tray quite a bit when he got frustrated, but it‘s designed to take that kind of abuse, and it wasn‘t a problem. I‘d be impressed if Lily could effectively chew this thing, as its round shape doesn‘t really lend itself to that sort of thing (presumably by design).

The buttons, however, do get pretty rough from his pawing, which makes cleaning a bit of a pain. After 11 months, it definitely does not look new or even „lightly used“, but it‘s a dog toy - as long as it‘s still functional, I‘m happy. ;-) And most of it does look good, it just takes more cleaning effort now than before he put all kinds of scratches across the buttons.

[Longbyt]

	Quote:	meloncollie
	So fellow cold weather dog walkers, what gloves do you use?

I'm not a cold weather dog walker. I am not a dog walker at all. But each year, around the first Sunday in Advent, we brave the elements and hang very large baubles on a very large spiky tree. It takes about an hour to get them all in place and as I am not walking, my circulation is hardly circulating and my hands would be FREEZING without my special 'putting baubles on the tree' gloves.

I wear hand-knitted gloves a bit like this. On mine, I can also remove the thumb cap. Someone else has suggested simply cutting a slit in the thumb (material, not flesh!) to free the thumb for fiddly jobs.

It might also be possible to wear very thin, skin-tight gloves under the special ones... Anyone game to try it?

Googling "Handschuhe mit Kappen für die Finger" shows a few other types.

[meloncollie]

I was mostly thinking about flashing lights and potential for obsessive behavior wrt Hooligan's epilepsy, but you bring up an even more important point:

	Quote:	Corbets
	Also, I‘m not sure it would work well for you, as it‘s not designed for multiple dogs (one dog being smarter - or dumber - than the others would mess up its learning algorithm).

Certainly my two are not intellectual equals. Hooligan is brilliant, Heffalump is... not. They have very different learning styles.

But wouldn't it be an interesting programming challenge to develop this kind of thing for multi dog households?

Still love it. Very tempted to try, even if H (and/or H2) could only use it under my supervision.

[CherryTree2014]

@robBob Still in use ...

[Fish Paste]

In the end I bought a training harness from Qualipet.
https://grossenbacher-beat.ch/en/dogs/harness/training-harness-guide

Glad he tried them on as the medium was just a bit too large on the chest so I've got the small which is a good fit.
Quality is good, and it has a handle and a hook on the back.
The belly clasp is on the side and doesn't cause any chaffing due to the design.
CHf 48 is not cheap but these type of harnesses seem to vary a lot in design and fitting so having the option to try them is worth the extra expense.

He still pulls like a train though.

[meloncollie]

Just found another nifty gadget, the Trixie tick remover with LED light:
https://www.zooplus.ch/shop/hunde/hu...enzange/676096

If you've ever tried to pull a tick in less than optimal lighting, or off a very furry dog in any kind of lighting, this can be a doGsend.

[st2lemans]

https://www.lostateminor.com/2018/09...rip-mini-tent/

Tom

[AnnaSophiaA]

Re: cold hands, I’ve always used silk liners with horseback riding gloves. Or alternatively a warm fleece lined wool knit mitten with removable fingers.

The Kong Zoom Groom. It's Kong-strength plastic, easy shape to hold for both little fingers and big and the Hound can't get enough of it. And incidentally probably the cheapest "brush" for dogs I've seen: about 6 quid on Amazon.

[mirfield]

	Quote:	st2lemans
	https://www.lostateminor.com/2018/09...rip-mini-tent/ Tom

Aaargh! Giant cat!

[summergirl]

https://www.dfordog.co.uk/thermlow-d...ling-vest.html


This cooling vest has been an amazing help to keep my dog cool during this year's extremely hot summer! Great quality, and you can have it tailor-made, to fit your dog perfectly.


Unfortunately they don't ship to Switzerland, so had to pick it up elsewhere.