Doggy Break — sleepy dog full-screen rest break overlay

⏳ Coming soon — pending Chrome Web Store review

Doggy Break — Force Yourself to Rest

A sleepy dog walks onto your screen every 50 minutes and naps. You wait. You rest. 100% local.

Notify me when live

What it does

Doggy Break is a Chrome extension that interrupts your work on a schedule. When the timer fires, a sleepy dog video fills your screen. You can't dismiss it. You wait the full break, get up, stretch, and come back when the dog wakes up. That's the whole product.

Pick your interval

25 / 45 / 50 / 60 / 90 / 120 min presets, or set a custom hr/min combo.

Pick your break length

1 to 20 minutes. Default 5.

Skip is off by default

The whole point is forced rest. Turn skip on only if you need an emergency exit.

Why it works when other break apps don't

Most break-reminder apps fail because they're polite. A notification you can dismiss is a notification you'll dismiss. Doggy Break is different — the dog is on your screen until the timer runs out. You can't work around it. So you actually take the break.

Backed by research

Pick the interval that matches the work you do. Each preset is anchored in a real study or protocol.

25 min — Pomodoro Technique (Cirillo). 25 on, 5 off. Best for focus-heavy or distraction-prone work.
50 min — DeskTime study. The top 10% most productive workers averaged ~52 min on, ~17 min off.
1 hr — NIOSH/Cornell ergonomics research. Adding short breaks at least once per hour reduces screen-related eye, posture, and musculoskeletal strain.
1 hr 30 min — Ultradian rhythm (Kleitman) + Ericsson's deliberate practice. The body cycles ~90 min between high and low alertness; elite practitioners cap focused sessions around 90 min.
2 hr — Deep-work block (Newport). The upper limit before sedentary risks (eye strain, posture, circulation) start to climb.

Preview

Privacy

100% local — nothing leaves your browser
No accounts, no sign-ups, no tracking, no analytics
Dog videos are bundled inside the extension; no network calls
Your settings are stored locally only

Read the full privacy policy →

Notify me when Doggy Break is live

Pending Chrome Web Store review. We'll email you the install link the moment it's approved.

FAQ

How is this different from a Pomodoro timer?: A Pomodoro timer politely tells you it's break time. Doggy Break covers your screen with a dog video so you actually have to stop. Same idea, more enforcement.
Will it interrupt me during a video call?: The break fires on the active browser tab. Use the popup pause button before joining a call, or set a longer interval that lines up with your meeting blocks.
Can I use it for digital eye strain or "computer eye fatigue"?: Yes — pick a 50- or 60-minute interval and a 5-minute break. NIOSH and Cornell ergonomics research found short hourly breaks reduce screen-related eye, posture, and musculoskeletal strain while maintaining productivity.
Is it really 100% local?: Yes. The dog videos are bundled inside the extension package. There are no network calls, no analytics, no accounts. Your settings live in chrome.storage.local only.
Can I add my own dog videos?: Not in v1. The extension ships with seven curated calming clips that loop. Custom uploads are on the v2 wishlist.