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Leaving your dog home alone is hard enough on its own. You miss him, and you’re already counting down to the cuddles waiting for you at the door.
Add not knowing what he’s doing in there, the low hum of worry about whether he’s okay, and a normal workday starts to feel like a stretch.
A pet camera takes most of that off your shoulders. It lets you check in on your dog from anywhere, and some models go further and let you see and talk to him while you’re out.
A camera pointed at your dog buys you peace of mind on every commute and late meeting.
If you want the full kit, video chat, 2-way audio, a treat dispenser, the works, the one I’d point you to is the Furbo Dog Camera.
Below are the brands and models worth your money. Here are the 3 best pet cameras for dogs left home alone.
1. Furbo Dog Camera: Treat Tossing, Full HD Wifi Pet Camera and 2-Way Audio, Designed for Dogs
The NEW Furbo 360° Cat Camera gives you best-in-class HD video quality with a 360-degree rotating view for full room coverage, day & night. Stunning 1080p live view and high-quality 4x zoom let you easily check on your cat when your away from home.
First up, the Furbo Dog Camera is one of the best known cameras going. It even turned up on the Ellen show.
The picture is the first thing that stands out. You get 1080 Full HD with night vision, a clean live stream, and a 160-degree wide angle, so you can watch your dog on your phone whenever the urge hits.
It also has a barking sensor. When your dog sounds off, the Furbo pings your phone with an alert, and the 2-way audio lets you talk back through the app to settle him.
The app is free on iOS and Android. Load the treat tosser, then fling a snack on demand or set a schedule from your phone. It even ties into ALEXA voice control on a compatible device.
Setup is painless. All it really asks for is a steady internet connection and a solid Wifi signal.
Pros
Full HD camera with 160° wide angle
Decent night vision
Barking alert
Easy setup
Cons
Slight delay when tossing a treat
2. Life Pet Camera
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Gear that helps
For the dog who falls apart alone
Separation stress responds to routine plus a few props: a snug bed, something that smells like a heartbeat for puppies, and a camera so you can see whether the panic fades after ten minutes or never does.
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Fun & Interactive product for better audio & video communication.
High quality approach to providing you a better connected visual experience.
Improving the sense of happiness through wireless connectivity with your pets.
Built around one job: keeping you tied to your dog while you’re apart. The Pawbo Life Pet Camera leans into the fun side of that, adding a bit of play to the hours you’re away.
It streams in 720p HD with a 130 degree wide angle and 4x digital zoom, and you can grab photos and clips straight from your phone.
A built-in mic and speaker open up two-way talk through the Pawbo Life app, so you can video chat, talk to your dog, and hear him on the move.
There’s a laser game too, manual or automatic, to keep him moving, plus a treat dispenser for handing out his favorite snack from afar.
Feel like showing off your pup? The Pawbo has instant social sharing, so you can snap a shot and post it straight to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
To run it you’ll need an Apple device on iOS 8 or newer, or an Android on 4.0.3 or later. Download the app, connect to steady Wifi, and you’re up.
BITES 2 LITE has a dishwasher-safe treat dispenser with 1.5 lbs container that allows you to toss dry, crunchy dog and cat treats short, medium, or long distance, or schedule automatic treat dispensing via the free Petcube app
PLAY 2 WITH LASER FROM YOUR PHONE, With a built-in pet and human-safe laser toy, controlled from your phone, or set to autoplay mode to entertain your pet while you’re gone
Petcube got its start back in 2013, built to help one of the founders manage a dog with serious anxiety.
The design has picked up awards since, and the cameras now sit in thousands of homes pulling grade-A duty.
The Petcube Bites Wifi cam lets you check on your dog around the clock from your phone, with 1080p HD video, a 138° wide angle, and night vision. You can push the zoom in up to 3 times closer.
Two-way audio rounds it out, so you can talk to your pup and catch his bark coming back.
The Bites holds a 1.5-pound stash of dry, crunchy treats. Fling them near or far, or set the app to dispense on a schedule.
Storage isn’t a worry either. Petcube keeps the last 4 hours of footage on free cloud storage, no subscription attached.
It runs on iOS 10 and up or Android 5.1 and later, wants steady Wifi, and plays nice with ALEXA. The camera ships with a 1-year limited warranty.
Pros
1.5-pound treat capacity
Good audio quality
Free cloud storage
Cons
The app tends to lag
Night vision can be better
Final Thoughts
A pet camera earns its place on the days you have no choice but to leave your dog home alone.
Seeing how he acts with no one around tells you how he’s really coping, and that’s what lets you catch a problem early and do something about it before it grows.
An adult dog can manage about 6 to 8 hours. Puppies need a break every 2 to 4 hours. Beyond that, plan a walker or daycare.
How do I keep my dog busy while I am at work?
Leave a stuffed puzzle feeder or a long-lasting chew, a comfortable spot by a window, and some background sound. A real walk first helps them settle.
Is it separation anxiety or just boredom?
Boredom looks like chewing and mess. True separation anxiety shows panic, drooling and distress within minutes of you leaving, and needs a gradual desensitizing plan.
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