If you’re having a tough time potty-training a new puppy, it turns out the research done by Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov can be of service. He was famous for conditioning dogs to salivate at the ring of a bell, and you can run a similar experiment by rewarding a puppy every time it does its business on this potty-training mat.
A sensor hidden inside the disposable paper cloths detects when a puppy has done its business on target and automatically dispenses a treat while playing a chime to provide positive reinforcement for a job well done. After just a few days, your dog should get the idea, and the $US100 price tag is a wonderful alternative compared to how much it would cost to clean up after Fido uses your entire house as his bathroom while you’re away. [Hammacher Schlemmer]