Now There's An App That Will Help Get Your Dogs In Shape

With the number of iOS apps for Apple iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches growing daily, there’s new technology that’s been designed to help turn any dog into a master of agility. If your dogs are like mine, where they spend most of the day guarding the couch (usually with their eyes closed), you’re probably skeptical. But the Purina Pro Plan P5 app has been designed by scientists and proved by rescue dogs that just about any K9 can be trained to become an agility dog. Granted, they aren’t necessarily going to be winning trophies, but it should help get them up off the couch (and you too). Think of it as Kinect for dogs, but going outside and running around.

“The app was initially driven by a business interest to build an engagement platform to complement the nutrition-based ‘achieving greatness’ effort of the Pro Plan Brand,” said Brian Zanghi, Research Scientist, Nestle Purina PetCare and one of the app’s developers. “The Pro Plan team saw an opportunity to provide pet owners with a free resource if they want to have, or already pursue, some active lifestyle with their pet.”

There’s a lot of science behind the new technology, which was recently demonstrated in New Orleans before Super Bowl XLVII and was also on display in New York City at the Westminster Dog Show.

“The technology that calculates greatness points is based on several bodies or canine physiology research conducted over the years by Nestle Purina Scientists and Nutritionists,” said  Zanghi. “The app takes exercise duration, exercise intensity, the dog’s age and dog’s breed size into consideration to level the playing field across all dogs, so the greatness points are more comparable between a Labrador Retriever and a Yorkshire Terrier.”

I’m not sure if my pit bull, Raleigh, is going to be inspired by this new technology. The only time she runs is when you say the word “snack.” But for other dogs, this free app could be a great way for owners and their dogs to get in shape. There are instructional videos that walk beginners through every step of the agility course. Purina worked with former Dallas Cowboys great Daryl “Moose” Johnston with the app and he was able to train his yellow lab Gunner to perform beginner-level agility courses and catch long-distance disc throws in just a matter of weeks. (See the video below as proof.)

“Fundamentally, all the different types of exercises or activities that a dog will do is broken down into if it is walking, trotting, cantering, or running. Jumping and swimming are a bit different with impact level but similarities exist that allow the app can capture the different activities depending on what activity the pet owner selects when he or she tracks activity,” said  Zanghi. “The other aspect of the app is the owner’s selection of the fitness goal they want their pet to strive for. The goal range will be different for every dog because the technology takes the dog’s age and breed size into consideration. However, to achieve the maximum weekly greatness points with the most challenging fitness goal, the pet will likely be active 4-5 times a week. The time required to meet the goal will depend on the level of intensity, categorized on the scale as Low impact, medium impact, or high impact. Low being based on walking activities, medium based on trotting or cantering type activities, and high based on running activities.”

Zanghi said the app gives the average owner a basis for learning and executing the basics of obedience and basic training. The fitness goal range is set to a sliding scale, so that minor increases or decreases to the goals can be set to whatever a beginner or average pet owner may find achievable. In addition, greatness points can be accumulated even with modest amounts of activity only a few days a week. The app also includes family-fun related activity options that include play time, fetch, dog-park activity, doing tricks, or playing tug -- all of which stimulate the pet physically and mentally, and can contribute to the pet’s greatness points.

“The app does not eliminate the need for consistently training and conditioning a behavior,” said  Zanghi. “Therefore, the time necessary for the dog to learn a new skill or show proficiency at a trained behavior will still depend largely on the pet, the frequency of training, positive reinforcement for success, and overall difficulty of the training.”

Now, if they could just invent an app to replicate the sofa sleeping experience in such a way as to get my dogs outside and exercising on their own.