Pets and iPads

[Catherine]

It seems that our pets have gone high tech in their playing. Some of them seem to enjoy the iPad. Some I am not so sure about.
https://www.thedodo.com/pets-playing-ipa...94847.html

If a game were designed for a pet it could provide hours of entertainment. It might solve the problem of lonely pets when we are out.

[Tobi]

Well, they all got me laughing out loud
The only one who didn't seem too sure was the little kitten at the end. The rest look as if they are ready for the X-Box.

[Catherine]

I think animals catch on to new technology quicker than we do. They don't care that they don't understand it. They just enjoy it.

I have seen videos of Bearded Dragons playing games on iPads.
I understand that Orangutans at the various zoos are using iPads.

When you look at the fun they are having it seems that iPads and animals are meant to mix. Now we need them to design games just for our pets.

[Tobi]

Games for pets... I really do think that would take off as a business venture! Come on you games designers, get moving! To make the game truly interactive there could be a kibble-loading thing attached to it, so that when they catch the fish, or hit the ball, a treat comes out!
(now I am taken back in time to a chocolate-loaded machine I had when I was about 2 or 3. If you did the right thing, a tiny chocolate dropped out. I got my Dad's hammer and smashed the whole thing wide apart, and got ALL the chocolates out.....then got into mild trouble....I think it was meant to be an 'intelligence test toy'. It lasted about an hour. They hadn't reckoned on the quantum hammer effect....)

[Catherine]

Quote:(now I am taken back in time to a chocolate-loaded machine I had when I was about 2 or 3. If you did the right thing, a tiny chocolate dropped out. I got my Dad's hammer and smashed the whole thing wide apart, and got ALL the chocolates out.....then got into mild trouble....I think it was meant to be an 'intelligence test toy'. It lasted about an hour. They hadn't reckoned on the quantum hammer effect....)

That showed a level of intelligence that the toy's creator had not anticipated. You went for direct action and got all the chocolate at once. Sometimes direct action is the best way to go. I am picturing this toy as having trained you to free birds from traps. I think who we are and how we turn out is right there in our childhood. Few children would have thought of using a hammer. Few children would have realized that there is a supply of chocolate in the toy in the first place.

Now I am going to wonder what I would have done. I might have refused to play since I am not a performing animal and I would not have wanted to do "tricks". That is my stubborn side. I will do without the chocolate if it takes too much for me to get it. They would have needed to give me the chocolate before I would play.

Having the game release a treat would keep many animals playing for hours. I think we may be onto a good idea here. It would solve a lot of problems of bored animals at home alone. It could even record the owners voice saying something good when the animal wins.

[Tobi]

I was lucky. My Dad must have left his hammer on the floor.....I can't actually remember how I got hold of it. But I was always interested in watching things my Dad did, and curious about tools. It seemed like the perfect alternative to having to solve the puzzle every time. I'll never forget those chocolates. They were individually-wrapped pieces of Cadbury Dairy Milk. They had a wonderful taste and a special thrill about them, especially collected together in a stash.

[Catherine]

You were pretty observant if you knew how to use a hammer and pretty strong to be able to get at the chocolate. I know adults who couldn't do that. You were as determined then as you are now.

I've noticed that some pets are good at watching and figuring things out. I have seen cats who could open doors and turn on taps. I bet they could be taught to turn on an iPad and play a game or watch a video.

A lot of dogs could use the technology. It takes cat and dog toys in a whole new direction.

[Tobi]

I know. I have seen videos of dogs who have learned to open doors -and that's not just those latches which swing down, but door-knobs. A lot of it is observance, and then there's reward and reinforcing with positive feedback (like food) I think many animals could learn to do all sorts of things. I even saw a video of a dog who learned to drive a car! I am not kidding, I will try to find that video.

[Catherine]

The pigeons in Toronto use the subway system. They use the buildings to keep warm and yes they do understand about the automatic doors. They may not understand the mechanics of it, but they know about opening the doors and getting in out of the cold. They also have been known to ride the trains. There are cats and dogs that use subway systems. I have seen videos.

I have seen a cat open a door by swinging back and forth on the knob until it opened. She understood that the knob turned, she just didn't have paws big enough to grab it.

If a case load of veggies is ever delivered to my place I will know that my animals have figured out how to use the computer for online ordering. They do watch me so who knows. I am guessing it will be the bearded dragon that does it. He misses nothing.

[Tobi]

Haha! Uh-oh....you had better watch out, or you will get the delivery of $5,000 worth of Bearded Dragon food!
When I ordered her dog food online, I always kept my card number secret from Misty, and my security 3-number thing on the back!Rotating LOL