New app will click for dog lovers

A new game app for iPhones, iPads and Android devices called Clickety Dog should be a hit with dog lovers. It is the only game app to use real life dog training methods. You can play it for fun – or use it to improve your own training skills.

‘Clicker’ training is the modern technique that Ashleigh Butler used to train Pudsey for their winning act in Britain’s Got Talent. Trainers use a metal clicker to tell a dog – or other pet – when it’s done something right. In the Clickety Dog game, players teach their cartoon dog new skills and tricks in the same way. They can then enter on-screen agility tests and cross-country competitions. School your pet well, or you may lose it as it chases a squirrel or cat.

The game has a built-in clicker – or you can use your own if you are already using one to train your pet. The app will pick it up through the mic on your phone.

The method of gameplay is unusual, in that the screen dog’s behaviour is initially random. Players progress by limiting the randomness to the point where the dog becomes increasingly controllable.

“We first had the idea for Clickety Dog when I was learning to train my own dog,” says the app’s publisher and dog coach Vicky Carne. “We wanted to make a game that would delight games players while also being true to the real-life technique. Other trainers tell me it’s spot-on. And the feedback from dog lovers has been great.”

Product Name: Clickety Dog

Available for iPhone, iPad, Android

Release Date: October 4th

Price: $1.99 / £1.49 (iPhone) others may vary – on offer until October 11th at 99c / 69p

For more information, visit clicketydog.com.