Should AI dog training supplies be in your home?
The pros and cons of training your dog via technology instead of human-only observation
This post is part of a series entitled “BlackTechLogy.” Click here for the archived posts.
I watched the small, furry, brown dog turning in circles while almost biting the owner's calf trying to get to Junee. I looked directly at my own dog and said, “Don't do it.” She let out a grumpy growl, side-eyed the other dog and kept walking. One house down, she looked at the dog who had moved on to barking at something else. Then, Junee stared at me.
“Nose five,” I said and held my palm up. In one big leap, Junee smacked her nose into my hand the way someone would respond to a high five. We kept walking.
On another day, a fire truck went by my home, blasting the siren at top volume. I heard the beginning whimpers of a howl, swirled in my desk chair and put my index finger over my lips. Junee huffed and did not complete the howl. (She defiantly leaned her head back to mime a howl though.)
Later on that day, we saw a fire truck while walking outside. Junee let it rip, howling with her head leaned back to her shoulders. I said nothing while she howled away loud enough for an entire block to hear. Passersby looked on at my descendant of wolves. I continued listening to my music playlist like I had no idea of this soundtrack on the other end of the leash.
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When I want to know if Junee needs her nails clipped, I either put her paw in my hand to look at them or wait until she crawls on top of me while I meditate. Or, she’ll make it really easy. She’ll randomly run her paw against my arm and move toward a kitchen cabinet where her Dremel is. Mani-pedi in session!
These are a few examples of very short conversations me and my Hound mix have had over the course of four years. And sometimes I forget to tell other people about these silent convos, like the time my mother assumed something went wrong when she tried to towel-dry Junee after the rain. She gave up after watching Junee twist and turn, growling and trying to bite the towel, and let my dog air dry. Meanwhile, I would have kept on drying her off and ignored this combat game she plays. It’s the same nonsensical fight I’d watch my brother do with his “action figures” (that I liked to call “dolls” to piss him off).
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These are all experiences I have learned in real time by watching my dog and my dog watching me. We've got a system down that I quite like. This system is also the main reason I am not totally sold on artificial intelligence dog training.
What exactly is AI dog training?
Unlike what it literally sounds like, it’s not (usually) an artificial intelligence voice teaching your dog how to sit, stay and roll over. It’s not some kind of software teaching your dog attack tricks or how to guard a home. AI dog training is more of an administrative assistant than a fitness trainer. It keeps a record of things you’re doing while training your dog — and may reward your dog on your behalf. Here’s one example.
I like the idea of some of these AI dog training gadgets. When I watched this video, Junee started whining and ran around as soon as she heard the squeaker. Her response to the cat meowing? Nothing. And that is exactly my point.