Frequently asked questions

Yes, most dogs do. The system uses positive reinforcement: touch the screen, get a treat. Dogs figure out the basic mechanic very quickly, because the reward is immediate and clear. Most dogs learn how to use it in 20 minutes. Not sessions, minutes.

Your dog's intelligence will surprise you. Joipaw puzzles are designed to be intuitive, using nose taps to interact with a touchscreen. With positive reinforcement, they learn to play and enjoy the games naturally.

This can happen at first, especially with dogs who have never interacted with a screen. We recommend starting supervised, encouraging their curiosity, and letting them explore at their own pace. Most dogs that initially seem disinterested engage once the treat reward mechanism clicks.

Your reservation is 100% refundable, so there's no risk in trying.

Yes. Joipaw is recommended for dogs of all ages over 4 months. The difficulty adjusts automatically, so both puppies and seniors are appropriately challenged.

Dogs of every age benefit from daily mental stimulation. Research suggests that keeping the brain active throughout life supports healthy ageing, so starting early and staying consistent is valuable at any stage. Joipaw adapts to your dog's pace.

The Trainer is built with durable, dog-safe materials designed to withstand nose and paw taps, and the occasional bite. As with any electronic device, we recommend monitoring heavy chewers during sessions. It is easy to clean.

It's never too late. Research shows that maintaining cognitive activity throughout life matters, and cognitive decline can begin before it's obvious, making daily enrichment especially valuable for older dogs. Joipaw adjusts difficulty to your dog's current abilities and pace.

We recommend starting with short sessions of 10–15 minutes and building up to a maximum of 30 minutes per session, twice a day. This is a real mental workout, most dogs are ready for a nap afterwards.

The trainer shuts itself off automatically after 30 minutes.

Joipaw isn't meant to replace time with you, it's designed to create more of it. This product is not a substitute for human interaction. It's made to increase your bonding opportunities through time spent solving puzzles together and understanding each other better.

The best sessions are shared: play together using your phone as a controller, encourage your dog, and learn how they think. Sessions can run on a schedule and you can check in remotely via the camera, but Joipaw is built around bonding, not leaving your dog alone with a device.

Setting up is straightforward. Connect the trainer, sync it with the dispenser and the app, and you're ready. The included quick start guide walks you through the process in a few steps.

The device comes with refillable pouches rather than prefilled ones. You can buy ready-made paste pouches for convenience, or fill them with your own recipes, useful if your dog has specific dietary requirements.

The paste format is intentional: it's portion-controlled, consistent, doesn't leave crumbs, and is easy to clean.

Joipaw offers a variety of cognitive challenges across different difficulty levels, from simple target recognition to complex pattern and counting games. Games get harder as your dog improves.

They can be played solo by your dog, or together with you using your phone as a wireless controller. Games are updated regularly via the app.

Research shows that not all enrichment is equal, the type of stimulation matters. Puzzle toys provide one-time novelty. Joipaw provides progressive, repeatable, cognitive enrichment that gets harder as your dog improves.

Unlike static toys, Joipaw also drives physical movement (via the dispenser in another room), adapts difficulty over time, can be scheduled from an app, and tracks your dog's progress. It's a system, not a product.

Studies indicate that cognitive enrichment may significantly reduce stress-related behaviours in dogs, including barking, restlessness, and destructive behaviour. A mentally tired dog is a calm dog.

Joipaw is not a treatment for clinical separation anxiety, but for many dogs, the combination of structured daily stimulation and a clear routine makes a real difference. Many of our early testers reported noticeably calmer dogs after regular sessions.

Mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise for dogs. Research suggests that lifelong cognitive activity may help dogs stay mentally sharp as they age, similar to how exercise supports physical health.

Joipaw is designed as a daily health habit, not an occasional treat. Two short sessions a day, consistently, is the goal.

Yes, Joipaw is designed to complement your dog's daily routine, not replace it. Regular walks and outdoor time remain important. Joipaw fills the mental and light physical stimulation gap created by the roughly 23 hours a day most dogs spend indoors (Kinsman et al., 2022).

Joipaw's original source of inspiration is from research in canine cognition and behaviour from different European universities. They developed a device similar to ours to measure dogs' cognitive evolution as they age, originally as a diagnostics tool for dementia, but noticed in the process that both the dogs and their parents seemed to quite enjoy it. We're being advised by leading researchers in developing the trainer and the games as a result. The trainer is designed to keep dogs mentally stimulated, and stimulation is paramount to keep dogs healthy and sharp as they age.

More reading for the curious:

• Dare, P., & Strasser, R. (2023). Ruff Morning? The Use of Environmental Enrichment during an Acute Stressor in Kenneled Shelter Dogs. Animals, 13(9), 1506. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13091506
• Dondi, M., Bianchi, E., Borghetti, P., Buffagni, V., Di Lecce, R., Gnudi, G., Guarnieri, C., Ravanetti, F., Saleri, R., & Corradi, A. (2026). Evidence-Based Clinical Management of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome: Diagnostic Algorithms, Practical Guidelines, Critical Appraisal of Biomarkers and Translational Limitations. Animals, 16(7), 1114. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16071114
• Hunt, R. L., Whiteside, H., & Prankel, S. (2022). Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Dog Behaviour: Pilot Study. Animals, 12(2), 141. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12020141
• Kinsman, R. H., Main, K. E., Casey, R. A., Da Costa, R. E. P., Owczarczak-Garstecka, S. C., Knowles, T. G., Tasker, S., & Murray, J. K. (2022). Dog walk frequency and duration: Analysis of a cohort of dogs up to 15 months of age. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 250, Article 105609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105609
• Milgram, N. W., Siwak-Tapp, C. T., Araujo, J., & Head, E. (2006). Neuroprotective effects of cognitive enrichment. Ageing Research Reviews, 5(3), 354–369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2006.04.004
• The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. (2022, March 8). Guide Dogs encourages enrichment to boost dog mental health. Guide Dogs Blog. https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/blog/guide-dogs-encourages-enrichment-to-boost-dog-mental-health
• Wallis, L. J., Virányi, Z., Müller, C. A., Serisier, S., Huber, L., & Range, F. (2016). Aging effects on discrimination learning, logical reasoning and memory in pet dogs. Age (Dordrecht, Netherlands), 38(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-015-9866-x
• Watson, H. (2022). Effect of Enrichment Toys on the Behavioral Signs of Stress in Boarding Dogs [Electronic thesis or dissertation, Ohio Dominican University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oduhonors1651309267053966
• Yarborough, S., Fitzpatrick, A., Schwartz, S. M., & Dog Aging Project Consortium. (2022). Evaluation of cognitive function in the Dog Aging Project: associations with baseline canine characteristics. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 13316. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15837-9

Your £5 deposit secures access to early bird pricing when Joipaw launches. You also get priority shipping at launch, access to shaper community updates, and a first look at new features.

Yes. Your £5 deposit is 100% refundable, no questions asked, up until we ship. We won't charge you the full product amount until launch, you'll receive an email to confirm before anything is taken.

We are targeting fall 2026. Reservers will receive priority shipping and will be the first to know about the exact date.

We haven't announced the retail price yet. Reservers lock in early bird pricing, which will be meaningfully lower than the retail price. Your £5 deposit goes towards your purchase.