Best Apps for Dog People

Technology has improved our lives in countless ways: it helps us live longer, be more productive, and even traverse the stars. For pet owners, some of the most practical technology we use is literally in our hands: our phones. We use our phones to stay in touch with others, and through the power of apps, we can use them to better care for and enjoy our lives with our dogs.

Walks

Having a dog often translates into a healthier lifestyle. A lot of dogs are more active than other types of pets, and that translates to walks—and plenty of them. You can keep track of your walks to measure time, distance, and even how much of a workout you’re getting with a handful of apps, like Under Armour’s Map My Walk.

Whistle is a great app to keep on top of your dog’s current location, activity, and habits. It uses Wi-Fi and GPS to keep track of your pet, so if you have lots of land and your pup tends to roam, it’s a great way to figure out where the heck he’s run off to. It’s also good to help owners track how much activity their pet is getting when they’re being walked by other family members or sitters.

Long day at the office? Need to pop out of town for work or a family event? Rover can help you find someone to walk your dog or take care of him while you’re away. The nice thing about Rover is that all the sitters have to pass a background check, so you know your pup is in good hands.

Social

One of the best parts of being a dog owner is the ability to take your furry friend to tons of different places. Not everywhere is dog friendly, though, which makes Bring Fido a useful app. It can help you locate all the places you and your pup are welcome, and you can even use it to find a place for lunch or to help you plan your next vacation.

If you and your dog are all about the social lifestyle, apps like 3 Million Dogs let you set up a Facebook-like profile for your pup and organize get-togethers with other dogs in the area. Likewise, Meetup can help you look for or start your own event where dogs can hang out and play.

Play

It’s tough being a dog owner at work, wishing you were home to play with your pup. It’s even tougher to be a pup all alone without anything to do. Like us, loneliness can lead to anxiety, stress, and depression in our dogs.

Luckily, there are tons of apps out there that can help keep you stay connected with your dog while you’re away. A camera setup that utilizes apps like iCam can help you keep watch over your dog during the day. Some even come equipped with mics and speakers so you can talk to your little buddy to keep him company. If you have a super talkative animal, like a husky, you can have whole conversations over the mic. If you really want to go all out, devices like Furbo use an app to monitor how active your dog is and give you the ability to give him a treat for good behavior.

Health

We do our best to keep our pups happy and healthy, but sometimes accidents happen. Not sure how to administer pet first aid? The American Red Cross has you covered with their Pet First Aid app. It can help you figure out whether your dog needs a vet, how to administer first aid, and what to do if your dog eats something he shouldn’t have.

Just like healthcare professionals use apps to track patient statistics and information, you can get your dog in on the fun with Dog Buddy. Dog Buddy keeps a comprehensive file of your dog’s most important information, like vaccine schedule, weight, medication, and even lifetime milestones. After all, everything in life is better with your fluffy pal—even keeping track of your health.

Fun

While your dog can get plenty of use out of your phone, it is your phone, after all. Treat yourself to a nice break scrolling through the millions of pictures of puppies all over the internet with apps like Instagram. You can even set up a profile for your pup and show the world just how adorable your companion is.

Your dog might be Insta famous if he’d just sit still for a good picture. BarkCam can help with that by making noises to hold your dog’s attention front and center long enough to snap the perfect pic.