Man’s Best Friends: Dogs & SmartThings

A dog owner talks about how he uses SmartThings to monitor his pooch’s health and prevent accidents before they happen.

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“We rescued an Australian Cattle Dog mix a few months ago. She is a great dog in every way, except that she’s allergic to a bunch of foods and has some serious tummy issues. Unfortunately, she can’t hold it in very well and will sneak off to a specific secluded spot in our house every time she gets sick. 

Eventually, I recognized this pattern and set up a SmartSense Motion sensor where she goes (it’s a hallway that leads to a guest bedroom that we don’t normally use). I’ve been able catch her before she has an accident so I can get her outside. With the event logging, I’ll be able to see if she does this at regular times and can adjust her potty break schedule accordingly.

Less cleaning up messes means happier dog owners! Thanks, SmartThings!” –Freddy


What you need:
Free SmartThings iOS or Android app
SmartThings Hub
SmartSense Motion sensor


There are two ways to get notifications when motion is detected in your home:
• You can either set up the “Notify Me When” SmartApp by going into the “Convenince” SmartApp category, tapping “Configure,” and then selecting “Motion”

• Or you can set this up through the Dashboard by clicking on the “Damage & Danger” section, selecting “Unwanted Access to Dangerous Items,” and then tapping on “Alert when there is motion near…”. We will soon launch a new category of our Dashboard called “Motion & Cameras” that will make setting this up in the Dashboard much more straightforward!

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Join the conversation! 2 Comments

  1. @Eliot:
    I do something similar. My dog is almost 18 and is almost deaf therefore he no longer vocalizes to let me know he has to go out to potty. I set up a motion sensor near the back door where he paces, and I have it set to turn on my Sonos. So when I hear Howard Stern, I know my dog is by the back door waiting to go out and if i don’t hurry to open the door, I will have a clean up to take care of. I do have to maneuver the motion sensor behind some furniture so it doesn’t pick up all activity in the room. I wish they would come out with an electronic eye sensor; similar to the type used as a safety with garage doors.

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  2. Here’s my setup: I added Sonos in Lights & Switches and have it set to turn on when there is motion. It can also be setup in Apps by choosing a motion sensor and an Action (Dog Barking) however this setup causes my other dog to bark like crazy when she hears the dogs barking on the Sonos.

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