New video games for dogs in development
A new start-up company based in Hong Kong has recently revealed it is developing a video games console especially for our four-legged friends.
Joipaw, the start-up company, has developed the games on a special touchscreen for dogs in order to keep their mind active. Dogs can use their snout to play a whack-a-mole type game as well as a game that tests their counting skills.
The games are still in development, but the idea is based around a touchscreen that is lick-resistant. To get the dogs to interact initially with the screen, peanut butter can be smeared on it until they understand that they can touch the screen on their own.
The founders of the video games have hopes that this new development will help dogs with stimulation, and in the long run reduce the risk of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction, which is a bit like dementia.
The inspiration for the games console was co-founder Dersim Avdar’s own dog Kawet. He adopted the pooch in 2021 with his wife but found that Kawet became restless and suffered separation anxiety when they left him alone. After reading a study that explored the use of touch screen games for keeping elderly dogs’ minds active, he began to look into his new creation.
Current testing of almost two dozen dogs so far, findings are that dogs get a ‘light in their eyes’ as soon as they get the hang of the game, and then end up sleeping soundly for hours after they’ve had fun playing the games on the new console.
A dog owner since the early 80s, after convincing his parents to buy a Yorkshire terrier named Sadie, Darren created Dream Dogs so dog owners could find the best dog related information on the Internet.
