Skip to main content

Dog who loves peace and quiet learns how to turn off a Roomba


Most dog owners know canines are not exactly fans of vacuum cleaners. In a YouTube video titled, “Dog Turns off Roomba,” a red lab takes the canine vs. vacuum battle to another level, repeatedly turning off her owner’s Roomba after a few minutes of the vacuum’s operation. Apparently, this dog has learned how to push the “off” button with its nose. The video has garnered a great deal of attention, receiving nearly 300,000 views to date.

Shasta isn’t the only dog who can operate a Roomba, though. Several videos on YouTube show dogs operating Roomba vacuum cleaners, turning them on or off. In the video below, this doggy cleans up for its owners while they’re away from the house, turning the Roomba on.

Recommended Videos

How does Fido know how to operate the vacuum? Here’s a professor’s take: “Using only family pets, which were not specifically trained to understand language and gestures, I came to the conclusion that dogs had the mental ability roughly equivalent to a human two-year-old,” said professor Stanley Coren in a 2011 Psychology Today article. “Further work led me to believe that the most intelligent dogs might have the mental abilities similar to a human two-and-a-half-year-old child.”

And scientists at the University of Vienna and Oxford collaborated on a 2010 study which found that, like children, dogs learn by watching their masters. “The findings confirm what many owners and people involved with dogs have known for years. A dog’s behavior is influenced much like that of a child; through socialization, learning right from wrong and adopting similar patterns of behavior,” Caroline Kisko, from The Kennel Club told the Telegraph.

It’s been known for some time that dogs have a fair amount of intelligence and can complete some human tasks. And operating Roomba vacuum cleaners has now been added to the list.

Erika Rawes
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Erika became a professional writer in 2010, and her work is published all over the web on sites ranging from USA Today to…
Early Black Friday fitness deals: Fitness trackers, exercise equipment up to 51% off
A woman works out in her home on the NordicTrack AirGlide elliptical.

Update 11/6/24: Though this is our first iteration of such a list for the 2024 Black Friday season, we're already quite happy with it. Apple showed up with an affordable Apple Watch (which has fitness tracking that, though on the simpler side, we actually like better than some of its more complex siblings) and the Peloton Guide is $100 off. Plus, we were able to find smart tracking in stationary scale format for just $23, an entry-level price anybody can afford. This is a great start and we're excited to see what is to come...

Despite lingering stereotypes, the tech space and fitness space are quite closely related. And so, for this Black Friday season, we know you may be interested in some great fitness gear. Luckily, while Black Friday officially starts on November 29, you can go ahead and get started on your fitness resolutions way early with early Black Friday deals. That means that if the early Black Friday headphones deal you picked up happens to be a good pair of running headphones, now is a fantastic time to pick up an exercise bike or treadmill. Alternatively, now is also a great time to pick up an excellent fitness tracker with early Black Friday smartwatch deals. No matter what your goals, however, the following deals are ripe and ready now, not in a few weeks, so there is no reason to delay your plans.
Renpho Smart Scale — $23 $29 21% off

Read more
Early Black Friday e-bike deals: 75% off folding, fat-tire, more
Two people putting on helmets getting ready to ride Lectric XP 3.0 folding e-bikes.

Update 11/07/24: You don't have to wait for Black Friday if you want to score a discount on an e-bike because we've already found some amazing early Black Friday e-bike deals. There's a chance that these prices go even lower during the shopping event, but we won't blame you if you're already tempted by these attractive offers.

More people are finding out that e-bikes for commuting is a transit cheat code, as their electric motors give the punch that you need to move faster and conquer uphill roads easier -- which is why we think there's going to be high demand for these personal transportation devices on Black Friday. Lucky for you, there's no need to wait until the shopping event officially starts on November 29 to buy one with huge savings because we've found these fantastic early Black Friday e-bike deals.

Read more
BLUETTI’s latest Elite 200 V2 portable power station gets a discount for launch
BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 portable power station deal -- hero

Typically, when a new launch happens you don't see a significant discount for a while, and for good reason. But perhaps because it's so close to Black Friday and the holiday discounts, BLUETTI just dropped a new release and an incredible deal. The brand-spanking-new Elite 200 V2 is $900 off the regular price. That means you can take home the Elite 200 V2, a 2073.6-watt-hour portable power station, for $1,099, instead of $1,999. That discount is good until December 3rd, so don't wait around if you need one. With another storm brewing off the coast of Florida, now's a good time to get a backup power solution if you don't already have one.

 
Save $900 on Bluetti's latest Elite 200 V2 portable power station

Read more