OCTAVIO, a companion to treat anxiety in dogs

Abstract

Anxiety in our pets is a reality that most owners, specifically dogs, have to face every day. It is important to understand that dogs can also have phobias or fears, which can generate these types of anxious behaviors that affect not only the canine but also the owner.

Based on the problem identified, we carry out and apply a design methodology of the Industrial Design School focused on our users, which are two: pet owners and the pets themselves. Regarding the methodology used, we had to adapt it because when dealing with pets, they could not be interviewed as such, so the most we used to document behaviors, tests, and their results was observation. The main stages of the process were: exploration and understanding of the problem, development of ideas and solutions, decision and conceptualization of the idea, technical detail, prototyping of the proposal, and final user tests.

As main result, we found that animals with anxiety and phobias can be treated with toys that encourage the expenditure of their energy, sounds that calm them down and finally, a toy that gives them security through a "hug" on his back and chest. Based on these conclusions, the construction and conceptualization of OCTAVIO was carried out, a toy that reduces anxiety in dogs and combats the phobia of sounds or strong traumas that our dog may have.