The collar that shows if your dog is happy

But canine behaviour experts have doubts

Worry no more about whether your dog is down in the dumps - a new collar has been invented in Japan that claims to show the emotions your dog is feeling.

The "Inupathy" monitors the heart rate of canines and triggers a different coloured light for varied emotional states of the animal.

The company behind Inupathy – a conjugation of ‘inu', Japanese for dog, and 'empathy' – said the device offers ‘a window into your dog’s heart’.

But some dog behaviour experts have expressed doubts over effectiveness of the gadget.

The device uses a sensor to analyse a dog’s heartbeat variation and feeds this information into an algorithm to determine the animal’s mood.

Lights on the back of the collar then flash red for excited, blue for relaxed, white for concentration and multiple colours for ‘happy’.

This allows owners to better understand their pets and have a stronger bond with them, according to the company.

An app which comes with Inupathy also collects resting heart rate data and can suggest games for owners to play with their animals, including ‘frisbee’ and ‘quiz’.

“I wanted to know what made my dog stressed and how I could make him more relaxed,” said Joji Yamaguchi, founder and CEO of Inupathy.

“Inupathy gives us a lot of insight into dogs and a lot of hints about what they are feeling. I want to change the relationship between dogs and humans once and forever.”

While Inupathy has high expectations for its product, dog behaviour experts have some misgivings about it.

Jackie Murphy, who runs Kent-based Specialist Dog Training, expressed concern that the device has not been subject to clinical studies which could scientifically prove its effectiveness. Ms Murphy told The Independent trials for this sort of device would be very difficult as they would require a sizable cohort of dogs, all with a similar temperament.

Though Inupathy claimed the device has been tested on over 30 dogs, it does not go into detail on how thorough these procedures were. One user comment simply reads: “I am sure this device is going to make my dog life even more fun!”

Other critics have questioned the need for such a device to inform dog owners of basic behaviours which are simple to interpret in the vast majority of canines – particularly regarding the apparent lack of any veterinary or training uses.