STL SI398 Users Manual

SI398

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“Treat and Train” Dog Training Device

MANUAL

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. General
The Treat and Train is a device that assists a dog owner in training their dog to
improve its behavior using positive reinforcement. Its primary intent is to
decrease barking, jumping or other unruly behavior at the front door. The device
consists of a remote controlled food dispenser that the dog owner can activate at
will, and there are automatic modes that will dispense the dog food automatically
at set intervals. A DVD video will be included for the user to understand how to
use the training device effectively.

1.2 Material

1.2.1. ABS or polycarbonate construction. Materials should be resistant to UV
light because it could be used outdoors. It should also be water resistant
or rain/sprinkler proof.

1.3 Features

1.3.1. Easy set up and operation.

1.3.2. Rugged and stable design that will accept abuse from large dogs and
weather. It won’t be easily pushed around or knocked over by the dog.
Non marring rubber feet on base to resist sliding. The food should be
well contained inside the device.

1.3.3. The food should only be visible from the outside of the device through
the transparent top cover.

1.3.4. Other than the audible cues, the mechanical operation of the device
should be quiet. Some dogs will be afraid of the machine if it is too
noisy.

1.3.5. All controls should be located on the device where the dog will not be
able to easily paw at the buttons. The timer LED should be visible from
20 feet away in all directions.

1.3.6. Easy to load with food. Should hold 2-3 cups of dog food. It should
reliably dispense kibble down to the last few remaining pieces.

1.3.7. Easy to disassemble for cleaning.

1.3.8. Dispenser must accommodate and be capable of being adjusted to
dispense dog kibble only one at a time. The kibble will range in size
from 4 to 18 mm. This might be accomplished by the customer easily
exchanging parts in the device. The device must work with semi-moist
dog food to be used as a higher motivation for the dog.

1.3.9. The dispensing of the food is synchronized with an audible (to humans
and dogs) cue that is easily distinguished from normal ambient. The
volume of the cue is adjustable. The cue should be distinct, but not

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irritating to people. It should also be immediate and reliable with the
push of the dispense button on the remote.

1.3.10. The device can be set for manual operation or interval operation. The
interval mode is used for working on a dog’s down stay.

1.3.11. The interval mode has options. One is that it will dispense treats
automatically; the other is that it will audibly prompt the trainer to
dispense the treat using the manual dispense at a certain interval. The
trainer prompt is a different and distinct tone that is only to tell the
trainer it is time to dispense. This allows the trainer to decide if the dog
is behaving properly before dispensing the treat.

1.3.12. In the automatic interval mode, the device will have a sensor that
automatically determines if the dog is sitting within 2 feet of the front of
the machine before dispensing a treat. The machine will dispense treats
at a regular or variable interval ranging from 3 seconds to 5 minutes.
The sensor will have different sensitivity settings and the sensor can even
be defeated so it will dispense treats automatically no matter what the
dog is doing. A small LED on the dispenser will indicate that the sensor
is sensing the dog or some object in front. This will be used to set the
sensitivity level.

1.3.13. The intervals are set using a 12 position dial. The intervals are either
regular or variable over an increasing range.

1.3.14. Starting an interval session in the regular interval mode also starts a
session timer in the dispenser. 3-60 second intervals starts a 1 minute
timer, 2 min and 5 min intervals starts a 2 min timer or a 5 minute timer
respectively. During the interval session a bright LED should turn ON
on the dispenser. When the timer finishes the LED should turn off and
the Auto mode should stop because that interval session is complete. In
the variable mode, there is no timer to start and stop the session. The
trainer must stop the session manually by pressing the button again on
the remote.

1.3.15. The mechanism should unclog any of the dispensing holes mechanically
with each rotation.

1.3.16. There should be an IR interrupt or some other mechanism to assure that a
kibble is actually dispensed. If the IR interrupt does not sense a kibble
dropping, the feeder should continue to attempt to dispense several more
times (without any additional audio cue) until it senses that the kibble has
dropped. Or it will stop because there is a fault or there is no more
kibble in the machine.

1.3.17. The remote has a “jackpot” feature where it will have the dispenser give
the audible cue once, but then dispense treats rapidly. This is used for
when the dog has performed especially well. This is accomplished by
pressing and holding the manual dispense button on the remote. As long
as the button is held, the device should continue to dispense treats.

1.3.18. The radio frequency remote should have at least a 100 feet range line of
site.

1.3.19. The dispenser electronics should “go to sleep” after 30 minutes of
inactivity if operating on batteries. After waking the unit up with remote
input, it will respond immediately to any commands. If an adapter is
being used, there should be no sleep mode. (Check power draw to see if