Tagg Pet Tracker
Tagg is a smartphone app that works in tandem with the matching gadget, a GPS tracker collar, to tell you where your dog is at all times.
- GET IT: Tagg Pet Tracker App
The app lets you set a boundary zone around your house and alerts you the moment your dog leaves that boundary. You will know as soon as he escapes and easily be able to find him before anything bad happens.
The Tagg Pet Tracker app also serves the secondary purpose of tracking your dog’s movements around the house so you will know just how much exercise he is getting while you’re away from home. This helps you understand how much exercise he will need when you get back.
The downside to this app is that it has a subscription fee you will need to pay every month. Not only do you have to spend around $100 for the collar system, but you will also be required to pay an additional $9.95 every month if you want to have access to the GPS locating technology.
American Red Cross Pet First Aid
The American Red Cross' Pet First Aid app is filled with need-to-know information about the health of your pets and how to help them in an emergency situation. It is most definitely one of the best pet apps for dog owners.
- GET IT: Pet First Aid App
It has videos, instructional guides, and articles all about what to do if your pet gets sick or injured. The Pet First Aid app isn’t a replacement for your vet, but a useful tool for those emergencies when the vet is closed for the evening or if you just need consultation.
This app is also an excellent study tool, so you know what signs of illness to look out for and what a certain strange behavior may mean. It offers a convenient toggle function between information for dogs and information for cats as well as simple, easy to understand instructions for over 25 common emergencies.
RELATED: 9 Best Dog Tech Devices Pet Owners Love
The Pet First Aid app is equipped with an early warning sign checker for preventative care and allows you to store your vet's phone number for use if needed while you're browsing through the app. It can also locate the nearest emergency vet hospital and pet friendly hotels in your area.
Puppy Coach 101
Created for new dog owners and owners of young puppies, Puppy Coach 101 is an iPhone app that assists you in training your newest family member.
- GET IT: Puppy Coach 101 App
The app breaks down the steps of puppy training into bite-sized pieces and instructional videos so that the process is as easy and understandable as possible. The videos feature Joanne Lekas, a professional dog trainer and positive reinforcement guru.
Puppy Coach 101 has over 30 video clips that cover 9 topics including:
- An introduction to puppy training
- Crate training
- House training
- Teaching name
- Teaching sit
- Coming when called
- Handling and grooming
- Biting and nipping
- Take it and drop it
One of the greatest features this app offers is that it tracks your pooch’s progress as you complete each module. There are check off subtopics in each category and once you’ve finished them all you can upload a picture of your dog, input his information, and a Puppy Diploma will be email to you.
Pet Phone
Pet Phone is the perfect app for owners of multiple pets or owners who have trouble remembering important dates.
- GET IT: Pet Phone App
The app makes tracking your pet's health needs and requirements simple and easy. It syncs with the calendar on your smartphone to track what your dog eats, his weight, vaccinations, vet appointments, and anything else you need to remember.
Pet Phone also gives you reminders when your pet has an appointment coming up or when it's time to schedule them a visit with the vet. It is one of the best pet apps for dog owners and can also keep track of when medications need to be administered, as well as chart other health factors such as allergies and past health issues.
It allows you to keep all the information you need for all your pets in one handy place instead of having piles of old vet bills that you have to sort through to see what pet had which illness and when they were treated.
Petsie Dog Breeds
Petsie Dog Breeds has information on all the dog breeds out there and how to identify them in your dog. Users can also set up a public profile for their pet.
If you recently adopted a mixed breed or rescue dog, it can be hard to tell just what breeds they are made up of, however that information can be vital to have for vet visits and to get to know your dog’s personality.
RELATED: Top 10 Cute Dog Breeds You Can't Resist
The Petsie Dog Breeds app gives you information on hundreds of different breeds and provides high quality images as well. The app also serves a second purpose; letting you set up a profile for your dog so you can interact with other users of the app and create a social network with fellow dog lovers.
The content for the app is based on the company's social network site, where pet owners have created over 100,000 pet profiles and uploaded over 1.5 million pet pictures.
Dognition
Dognition is a web app that gives you a series of games to play with your dog from different categories, so you can test just how intelligent he is in these areas.
- GET IT: Dognition App
You'll play science-based, fun games with your dog, and the more you play, the more you'll learn about how your pet's mind works. The assessment is made up of 20 games that were created by dog trainers, scientists, and dog behavioral specialists.
The online tool shows you step-by-step instructions and how-to videos to walk through every game. It also allows you to record your pups responses at every step. Once you've completed the assessment you will receive your dog's unique Profile Report.
The report consists of 10-15 pages of content describing your dog's individual learning style. The app allows you to track their progress over a long period of time and learn how to better train your dog based on how he thinks. You can choose to pay a small monthly fee for additional content, such as activities to do with your dog on a daily basis to increase areas he might be weak in, but there is no monthly fee associated with the standard service.
Dog Whistler
This free smartphone app is one of the best pet apps for dog owners. It acts as a dog whistle from your phone to assist in training your pet.
- GET IT: Dog Whistler App
It comes with different frequencies, so you can see which one works best with your dog, and a motion activated sensor that will automatically send out a whistle when your dog does something it shouldn’t, such as jumping on furniture or barking incessantly.
To activate the Dog Whistler app, you simply start by choosing one of the preset frequencies by pushing the slider to the right or left at the top of the screen. If you choose, you can also manually enter a frequency number between 80 Hz and 20,000 Hz.
Every dog hears differently, and it varies greatly depending on the age and breed of your dog. You can use this app to fine tune a dog whistle that will suit your dog's hearing preferences.
DoggyDatez
DoggyDatez is the perfect way to find other dog owners in your area, specifically ones that might take the same walking route as you.
- GET IT: DoggyDatez App
The app works like marking your territory, without the gross part. You choose a spot along your route and mark it as your own, then see who visits it while you’re gone. This social networking app lets you search for, communicate, and share with other users as well.
You and your dog can also have some added fun by visiting other people’s spots on your walks. Once there, you activate the app and claim their spot as your own, much like dogs do when they smell another dog's scent and mark their territory over it.
RELATED: How Future Dog Technology Will Affect Pet Parents
This process of taking over another person's territory is called SkyJacking. Every time you mark a spot you earn DogMiles, which you can use to “fly” across the globe and SkyJack spots from other people. This adds a competitive edge that other social networking apps don't offer.
Dog Boogie
Another social networking device, Dog Boogie acts like Instagram for dog owners.
- GET IT: Dog Boogie App
It comes with different filters you can apply to photos specifically for dogs, with dog names for the filters such as “Lassie,” “Toto,” and “Yeller.” The app even makes taking pictures of your dog significantly easier by playing funny animal sounds to catch your dog’s attention and make him look at the camera.
Dog Boogie is equipped with over a dozen live photo fillers, and, you can follow other users of the app and share your photos with them as well. You can also create a personalized profile for your dog to share his information with friends.
Much like Instagram, you can use this app to upload your pet's photos to other social media outlets including Facebook and Twitter. You can also share them through email. Possibly the best feature of this app is that it lets you upload photos and turn them into customized gifts like coffee mugs, iPhone cases, and canvas art.
BringFido
Finding dog-friendly hotels, beaches, parks, and other pup-friendly places can be difficult, but not when you use the BringFido app, certainly one of the best pet apps for dog owners.
- GET IT: BringFido App
When you search for hotels this app will show you what their pet policy is, whether there is an extra fee, and any user reviews they have to help you narrow down the right place for you and your dog. BringFido even allows you to book rooms directly through the app, so they aren't just the middleman.
With this app you can filter out hotels that have pet size or breed policies, and you can even find hotels that don’t require special fees. Allowing the app to refine your search helps you weed out the hotels that won't work for you with the click of a button instead of having to sort through them all yourself.
Once you’ve found the hotel you want to go with, the BringFido app will help you find other attractions and establishments that are dog-friendly in the same area. The only downside to this app is that it is currently only available on iOS, so Android users will have to stick with using the companies website for now.
