Pet Tutor™ : New Remote Control Treat Dispenser

Some people might be familiar with the Manners Minder which is a remote feeding system which has been on the market for years. It is commonly known to be used as a training tool. For example, if you are training a dog to lie on a mat while someone comes to the door, a remote feeder can delivery the treats right where the dog is while you open the door. Now there is a new product that will be made available soon called the Pet Tutor™. Although it is not out yet, It is a product you should keep your eye on if you are working with dogs It has come dopwn substantially from it’s former $449.00 with computer software, and $379 without and now it available for $299. Still pricy as compared the cheaper Pet Safe products on Amazon. PetSafe Treat & Train Remote Reward Dog Trainer is approximately $88 and PetSafe Train N Praise Dog Treat Dispenser is about $26 as of writing (read the reviews before buying – the cheaper one probably needs mounting and both may need some training before your dog will approach it).

So how can they justify the price?

What is special about the Pet Tutor™ is that:

• It can be programable by a remote, an app on your smart phone or your computer using wireless technology.
• It can be used on the floor but also mounted so that you can put it in a crate or even completely out of reach.  This makes it very flexible to use.
• It is reported to be quiet. Unfortunately without reviews, or having it in our hands, we don’t know how quiet it is.
• It has a “chase delivery” option which shoots the kibble across the floor away from the feeder (which adds some fun for your dog).
• It has been created so that it is very hard to jam.
• It can be triggered by certain sounds.  We’d love to see this one in action, but just think of all the desensitization uses it could have.
• The remote has a motion sensor.  So if you put the remote in a toy for example, every time to dog engages with the toy and treat is delivered.  I would be concerned about the remote getting chewed up so I would like to see it in action.  Still, it offers a novel way to increase environmental enrichment.

Here is another longer video (under 6 minutes) video talked about how it can be used.  Jennifer Cattet talks about how you can use it for enrichment (read our article on how environment enrichment can help your dog), as well as how you can use it to prevent problems as well as for behavior modification for problem behavior that already exists.

Read more about the product here:
Pet Tutor™ – Smart Technology for Positive Training