It is quite evident that as dog’s age they will get lazy and will spend more time in their beds rather than participating in other fun activities. Sometimes, guardians decrease or even stop playing, walking, training and engaging in other activities, which their dogs don’t enjoy. Sometimes it might happen that the guardians don’t feel the same way as their dogs due to their old age. Sometimes, it’s just because people assume that the golden years of their dog should spend quietly relaxing. Researchers show that dog’s cognitive functions can be maintained by providing them with regular mental or physical exercise and continued social engagement. With this in mind, a recent study explored the possibility that there are benefits of using touchscreen technology if the goal is to help dogs stay happy and mentally sharp as they age.
How Advancement of Technology Help Dog’s to live Quality of life
The researchers tried using touchscreens to stimulate dog-computer interactions that can provide mental stimulation in dogs in their older years. In this process, the correct answers were rewarded with treats. Since dogs find food even more rewarding if they have earned it rather than got it for free, the procedure has great potential to improve dogs’ quality of life and well being. These activities can definitely help provide cognitive enrichment to dogs who don’t find many opportunities due to their guardian’s choice or due to their self declination.
Dogs in the study first had to be trained to touch the screen for a treat, then to touch it at a certain place, and finally choose between options in order to be correct. Dogs can be introduced to more complex cognitive tests once their initial level of training has been accomplished.
Many of the guardians of dogs in the study were surprised at how tired their dogs were after their cognitive training sessions, and began to buy into the importance of mental exercise. The unintended result of this was that many of them invested time and effort into additional forms of cognitive work with their dogs. These additional mental exercises proved to improve a dog’s quality of life
The researchers hope that their studies could lead to the development of commercial chew toys for dogs. The idea that touchscreens may help improve the cognitive functions and well being of aging dogs in intriguing.