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Voice-directed solutions do more than translate pick lists in voice instructions. These solutions are multi-modal, using wearable scanners and Android device screens when appropriate, and have evolved to handle work execution functions and integrate with mobile robots.
Ask Jennifer Messer Q: Like any “expectant mom” I tried to read up on puppy training so I would do things right. But the more I read, the more confused I got. The books all seem to contradict each other! Now I don’t even know where to start to teach Lucy something as basic as “sit.” Do I push her bottom down? Use a clicker? Use treats? Please help. —Completely Confused in Calgary A:I hear you, C.C.—dog training literature is a maze. The good news is that what looks like an endless array of methods for introducing basic commands actually boils down to a few simple techniques. The ...
Ask Jennifer Messer My Westie, Joey, is reliably housetrained when at home but the minute we go elsewhere— to work, my mom’s, a friends—he lifts his leg. How on earth do I get him to stop marking indoors and embarrassing me?—Red-faced in Redmond A:If Joey is sprinkling just droplets of eau de toilette—even after a long piddle outside—then he is indeed urine marking and not just “relieving himself.” Why do dogs mark? What is just stinky bio-waste to us is an odour extravaganza to dogs—fascinating fluid packed with critical information about age, sex, health, and reproductive s...
Ask Jennifer Messer Q: How do I teach my dog to walk off-leash beside me? The street kids where I live always seem to have the most well-behaved, street savvy, leash-free dogs. -Mary-Ann, Vancouver, BC A: I've marveled at the angelic street kids' dogs too... and I think there are a few layers to the answer of why their dogs seem so perfectly well behaved. First and foremost, these dogs are probably a very select sample! They are survivors, not the dogs that have been run over by cars or picked up by animal control. Those you see are the ones that made the grade a very select group ...
Ask Jennifer Messer Q: My new puppy only listens to me if I have a handful of treats. How do I wean her off treats so she’ll obey me regardless of what I have to offer? —Tricked for Treats in Toronto A:SIMPLE: THINK VEGAS INSTEAD OF VENDING MACHINE The reason that your puppy only listens to you when you have a handful of treats is because she has learned that obedience only gets her what she wants if she sees the goods up front. Not surprising that she ignores you when you are empty handed; would you put coins in an empty vending machine? Nuh-uh. Your vending machine strategy was perfect f...