Being a dog lover and a dog owner, you have to be a pack leader and let your dog know that you are in charge and they are supposed to listen to you. However, as easy as it may sound, training your dog is not always an easy task. You’ll always want your dog to walk with you instead of running in front of you when you go out for walks. But that never seems to happen even when you use the seemingly painful pronged collar. Before giving up on your dog, you might want to check this Tug-Preventing Dog Trainer out.

Priced at $39.95, the Tug-Preventing Dog Trainer is an electronic device which attaches itself between your dog’s collar and the leash. Everything will be well and dandy until your darling dog decides to be naughty and tug. The integrated speaker will then emit a harmless ultrasonic sound, inaudible to humans, but will irritate your canine. If they decide to tug harder, the ultrasonic sound will be louder. Your dog will then start to learn to walk quietly by your side to avoid that irritating sound.

Don’t worry about the sound disturbing other pets as it is only directed to the leashed pets. The Tug-Preventing Dog Trainer has four volume levels that can be adjusted according to your dog’s sensitivity. You only need two AAA batteries for it to work. With a dimension of 6 ½” x 1 ½” x 1”, this device is compatible with any leash and also suitable for dogs of all breeds and sizes.

Available: Hammacher

Price: $39.95

Going on a long vacation seems impossible when you have a pet. There are so many things to worry since you can’t bring it along. Thoughts like “What is it going to eat?” “What is it going to drink?” constantly floats across your mind. No matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to relax. Fortunately, with the Catit Drinking Fountain, your burdens might just lessen up.

Now, cats are extremely intelligent and many different species has their own unique ways of hydrating themselves that ranges from lapping to pawing at water. The Catit allows them to do what they naturally do best by providing your cats with an unlimited supply of water while you’re on vacation.

So how does the Catit drinking fountain work? Well, the process is really simple actually. All you have to do is, fill the Catit up with water, plug it into a power outlet and watch as the water circulates itself in the device. The Catit also comes with a filtration system that filters dirt or food that gets into the water to ensure that your cats are supplied with clean and delicious water.

Combined with a circulating effect, which eliminates stagnant water and enriches it with oxygen and a power saving system, the Catit is a good device to encourage your cats to drink more water. Cleaning up the Catit and replacing it filter fairly simple but must be done once every 3 to 4 days to ensure a clean supply of water.

Available: ThinkGeek

Price: $52.99

OK, this one makes me chuckle a bit. Finally, a convenient solution to an age-old pet problem. Cleaning up after your dog is not just a public service; it is your responsibility no matter how icky it may be. I bet all the dog owners out there are sick of handling dog poop plastic baggies, or worse, carrying around your dog’s steaming smelly pile of a gift (I’ll refer to you-know-what as gift from now own). And for dog walkers, cleaning up doggy gifts just may be the worse experience ever.

What if I were to tell you that there’s a device that could zap your problems away as easily as in a Star Trek episode when they zap their crew out of sight (Scotty, energize!). AshPoopie does just that, except it leaves behind an odourless ash of the previously smelly gift. AshPoopie looks similar to a walking cane with claws at the bottom that cover the doggy gift and turn it into ashes. The AshPoopie literally burns the gift until it is beyond recognition. No more bringing your dog’s gift home with you!

The only downside to this device that I could see is that you have to carry a cane around with you as you walk, but that’s not really a very objectionable inconvenience if you can finally solve this smelly problem. Maybe you won’t mind carrying a cane when you walk around and with AshPoopie, you can now walk your dog without the worries and add a little entertainment while you’re at it.

The manufacturer of AshPoopie has not come up with a cost or price for this device yet but they are expecting a monthly supply to cost around $10 to $20. A pretty small price to pay for a major convenience for you. Not to mention how much more tolerable you’ll be making it for all the other innocent bystanders and passersby.

One issue I have with dog-walkers is when they fail to pick up feces left behind after their dog needed the toilet. Some people are ignorant and believe they don’t have to pick it up; others are just too lazy. Today we have a pet gadget that is ideal for these people.

The gadget is called the AshPoopie. The AshPoopie aims to make it easier to clean up dog waste by providing a collection and disposal device. Although just a concept currently, the AshPoopie designed by Paulee CleanTech based in Israel aims to be a revolutionary pet product.

The idea behind the AshPoopie is to turn foul smelling dog feces into sterile and hygienic odorless ash. It does this by utilizing special AshPoopie capsules positioned into the hand held device that can be mixed with feces. Firstly, a button on the AshPoopie is pressed which opens and extends the device over the feces. A second button is pressed which scoops the feces up, once scooped up the AshPoopie capsule (containing neutralizing chemicals) is releases which mixes with the feces at high speed and results in a harmless ash being produced. The entire process takes less than a minute.

There is no information regarding the price and availability of the AshPoopie so far, however it is defiantly a concept that I will be keeping an eye on for the future.

Check out the video of the AshPoopie below.

[Source: AshPoopie]

We thought that the iPhone 3 was the ultimate smart phone because it can perform almost any function we can ever think of. But the problem was that our imagination is limited because Apple bounces back and introduces not only the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2. Even Samsung hopped unto the bandwagon and designed its own tablet to rival that of Apple’s iPad. If you think you’ve seen it all in the iPhone, you have not seen the Sphero!

By the name, you would know that Sphero is a spherical object. This palm sized plastic robot ball rolls and spins around via command from a smart phone. You can control the ball by synching it with your iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy or HTC Desire. The Sphero can also be integrated with other applications such as the Sphero Golf. This means that you can move the ball around as if you are playing golf with it.

As the Sphero spins and twirls it also illuminates with almost any color you can think of. For those who are tired of buying your pet toys which are practically chewed up the very next day, the Sphero is an alternative pet gadget to give your pets some exercise and fun. This is because most pets are terrified of the bright moving ball and others simply can’t catch up with it. So the Sphero will most probably never get chewed up or clawed by your pet.

Besides animals, the Sphero also appeal to young children. Simply start rolling the Sphero around to grab the child’s attention and he will stop everything he is doing; even crying.

Similarly to having a baby, a pet would require much caring. During a car ride, they should not be roaming about the back seat, as it could be both dangerous for the pet and also distracting for the owner.  So the best choice to provide to your pets would be the Heated Pet Car Seat, even better during the winter season.

This heated pet car seat provides a cozy and warm quarter for your pet during the journey.  It is equipped with 12-volt heater which is situated inside of the seat cushion. The heater can produce up to 15º F and above to the ambient temperature. The heat would be just right for your pet, and not too hot for you.

Besides that the heated pet car seat is filled with 3 inch soft foam which is supportive to your pet. The interior is also covered with a smooth and plush fleece making it comfortable and easy to clean.  To keep pets safely in the heated pet car seat (while allowing some freedom to move), an adjustable leash is attached to the inside of the seat on this pet gadget. The leash is adjustable up to 19”.

To keep it in place on your car seat, just sting the safety belt through to the base of your pet’s heater car seat. The car seat could carry pets up to 35 lbs, and it is available in either Gray or Tan. The dimension of the heated pet car seat is 16” in height, 23” in width, and 18 ½” in depth.  The heating could be activated by the car’s DC outlet with the adapter that is included in the package.

Available: Hammacher

Price: $149.95

I am a dog lover; if I pass one in the street I always stop to give them a stroke. However, as for having one of my own I just cannot see myself having the time to take them for a walk a couple of times a day. I also feel a bit sorry as the dog would be left in the house while I was at the office all day with nobody to keep it company. Finally, the one thing that puts me off more than anything would be the having to pick up excrement. Now I am sure I am not the only one who does not like the idea of doing that and for this reason the Doggy Poop Collector has been developed.

The Doggy Poop Collector is currently a concept by Kukil Han and Min-sung Kim and attempts to integrate a poop collector into a dog leash. By combining both a leash and a poop collector the designers hope people with a fear of picking up poop will be interested in buying this pet gadget as it “kills two birds with one stone” or solves two problems with one solution.

The poop scoop has been integrated into the handle of the pet leash so that the poop can be scooped up and stored until a convenient place to dispose of it has been found.  The Doggy Poop Collector features an auto leash control button and an excretion cleaner button for discarding the poop.

My personal opinions are that this pet gadget looks a little bit bulky, but I guess some bigger dogs have big poops. No matter what sized dog you have I am sure if a range of different sized Doggy Poop Collectors are developed then numerous people would be interested.

[Source: Yanko Design]

It’s natural for us to keep ourselves warm and comfortable in cold temperatures, but what about our pets? Some of us may have been neglecting our pets without meaning to where cool temperatures are concerned, as they think that coats of fur will be sufficient for our pets to keep warm. However, during the winter, smaller pets with thin fur coats such as cats will really feel the chill. So, besides taking care of yourself, it is also important to keep your pets in mind. This is where the pet gadget called the Heated Outdoor Cat House comes in handy.

The Only Heated Outdoor Cat House is the only one of its kind, insulated to keep felines warm and comfortable when the temperature becomes too cold for comfort. This cat house, powered by AC, comes with a 20-watt heater built into its floor, which generates radiant heat, warming the floor of the cat house up to 15º F higher than the ambient outdoor temperature. Hence, if you have to leave your cat outdoors at night, you won’t need to worry about the chilling temperature.

In addition, the floor of the Only Heated Outdoor Cat House has a 1 ½” soft form lining, so that your cat can have a comfortable surface to lounge. Besides, the entire cat house is covered in a layer of durable 600-denier nylon, which is backed with waterproof vinyl. The pitched roof above the structure also provides great shelter to keep your cat dry when the rain falls. This cat house also comes with double doors, one in the front and one at the back, so that your cat can come and go as it pleases.

Available: Hammacher

Price: $129.95

We have featured pet gadgets for cats here at Mintgadgets before, most notably the Phantom Mouse Teaser, Ceramic Pet Fountain, and the Scratch N Sniff Live Scratching Post. However today we bring to you the Aïkiou Cat Stimulo Feeding Station.

Some household cats can let’s be honest get a little bit over weight, this is because they are not out and about hunting for food and being as active. They generally eat and are awake for a few hours before lying down and sleeping for the majority of the day. To prevent your cat from doing this and to entertain them a little bit many pet toys have been developed. The  Aïkiou Cat Stimulo Feeding Station was created just for this.

The Aïkiou Cat Stimulo Feeding Station is an interactive cat food dish that challenges your cat during meal times.  Food is spread out in each of the cat food bowls or tubes as they look more like, and the cat must place its paws into each one to try and fish out the rewards. This encourages your cat to work a little bit for their food rather than just eat it out of a normal cat food bowl. It has the distinct advantage of encouraging older cats that may have gone off their food to hunt, inviting their predatory instincts to return.

Available: ThinkGeek

Price: $24.99

Is it difficult bathing a dog or do you just hate to clean up after your dog takes a bath? Well, why not purchase an inflatable dog shower and this is the Only Inflatable Dog Shower in the market. It inflates in less than five minutes for an easy and fast set up and can be fold to 24 x 14 inches for unobtrusive storage. The inflatable dog shower has a built in handheld shower head that lets out water from 7 different types of pressure from a high pressured stream to penetrate thick dog furs, clean out dirt and to remove dead skin cells and a soft, soothing stream for little dogs who are very sensitive.

The showerhead dog washer has a 52 inches hose that allows you to clean every part of the dog’s body without difficulty at all. There are 58 sprayers inside the dog shower as well to provide easier cleaning for your dog. You do not need to carry the dog into the shower because there is an easy access panel on the side of the shower that can be zipped and unzipped. There is also an integrated D ring that allows you to gently leash your dog. In order to get water supply, you will need to connect the shower to a garden hose and it has a drainage system in it as well.

The current retail price for the only inflatable dog shower is $119.95 and it can be used on any terrain since it is made out of puncture resistant PVC and nylon.

Available: Hammacher

Price: $119.95