Ah, dog computer games: either for those who like dogs but don’t like clearing up poop or those who love dogs, have dogs and just want more dogs.

We covered dog-based iphone app Touch Pet Dogs a little while ago, this is a new one called The Dog. It’s from Tokyo – where else?

A review in serious tech and ideas magazine – Wired – took us through the pros and cons of The Dog as an iPhone game. The Dog has a sci-fi-esque white background, very minimalist and all focussed on the photo-realistic dog, who we have to admit is pretty cute. Though there are different locations like the beach.

You choose your puppy from the start – going for gender, breed (there are five) and fur colours: the app also takes you through the basics of caring for your dog.  


The point of the game is to train the dog to do tricks, by giving it treats, petting it and practising, the better you train it, the more prizes you can pick up and the more you can  accessorise your dog – getting shampoo and leashes.

Apparently it’s a bit easier than training a real dog:

“If, for instance, your puppy sits down, you have a limited amount of time to give it the “Sit” command and then a doggy treat. If you do it properly, then your dog learns the command and you can use it again in the future. There are other ways to teach it tricks but I’ve had trouble teaching it to shake paws.” Says the Wired reviewer.

Interested? It’s on iTunes…