May 2023 | METU Open Access
In the last ten years, wearable technologies for animals have become increasingly popular, and activity monitoring systems are one of the most commonly used types of technology. However, there is a limited amount of research on dog activity monitoring systems and their impact on the lives of caretakers and their awareness, despite the growing number of studies on wearable technologies for humans. My thesis aimed to fill this gap by conducting a longitudinal study with 30 participants, exploring the dimensions of interaction with dog activity monitoring systems, caretaker personas related to the use of these systems, and their potential to contribute to the caregiving of dogs. The study involved participants using a specific dog activity monitoring device (Fitbark) for six weeks, along with in-depth interviews, experience sampling method, and complementary questionnaires. The findings were used to develop the Dog Activity Monitoring Systems-mediated stage-based awareness model that explained how dog activity systems can mediate the human-dog relationship and support the caregiving of dogs.
METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH KIT
THEMATIC ANALYSIS CODEBOOK
