What is Your Dog Doing Home Alone? – Treat Dispensing Dog Camera Guide
Sometimes you just can’t take your dog everywhere with you and it sucks so much. But don’t worry yourself too much because there is a way to keep tabs on your dog and see what mischief he is up to when home alone.
Get a treat dispensing dog camera.
A few years ago pet cameras with corresponding apps were put on the market to let you monitor your dog through an app on your phone taking footage from a camera set up at home. These cameras were designed to reduce separation anxiety and to keep a close eye on the mischief your dog is up to while home alone. Now, a few years later, there are so many different brands of pet cameras, it is quite overwhelming when trying to choose one. I have complied a guide on reasons for buying a pet camera, important things to consider when shopping, frequently asked questions and a review of four of the best pet cameras to make monitoring your pets easier than ever.
Table of Contents
Why Do You Need A Pet Camera?
1. Peace of mind
Pet cameras give you a greater peace of mind when you are away from your furry friends. They allow you to tap in and see how your pet is doing wherever you are. This is beneficial for both yourself and your pup as the camera footage can relieve your own stress and any separation anxiety your dog might be experiencing. With a dog camera you have a better idea of what your dog has been up to in the day.
2. Training
With a pet camera you can train your pet away from home. If your dog is being naughty, you can scold them through the microphone. You can also give your dogs commands through the audio system like ‘sit’, ‘drop’, or even ‘roll over’ and reward him/her with treats through the pet treat dispenser.
3. Warns you of fires, gas leaks and intruders etc.
Your dog can’t talk or escape your home in the case of an emergency. With motion and noise alerts, if your dog is distressed and barking, you will be notified to your phone and be able to check out the situation further and potentially save your dog from a fire, a gas leak or an intruder.
Things To Consider When Buying
1. Two way communication
A two-way communication systems allows you to interact with your dog while you are away. This can be buy audio and/or video. The two way talk feature can let you train your dog or reduce his separation anxiety with some calming words. Or maybe you just need to tell your dog to “GET OFF THE BED!” or “STOP EATING MY SLIPPERS!”
Some camera models are almost like a FaceTime or Skype video call, displaying your image on a screen back at home. Some even have buttons where your dog can press it to talk to you.
2. Memory Storage
This is how much video content your camera can film and save for the day that you can watch or look back on when you get home. The most common method of storage for pet cameras are either by a built-in flash memory system, an SD card or by a cloud-based service supplied by the pet camera company.
3. Viewing Angle
The viewing angle of a pet camera varies from product to product. Some have wide angles, some have narrow angles. The angle you should look for depends on your dog. Is he very active? Then you should consider a wider angle shot to capture his movement. Or does he like to spend his time sleeping? Then a narrow angle camera should serve your purpose just fine.
4. Camera quality
The majority of pet cameras offer high resolution video. A camera with 720p is considered to be HD or ready HD, 1080p is full HD and 4K is ultra HD.
5. Motion and noise alerts sent to phone
It is impossible to watch your dog all day from your phone while you’re at work and that’s when motion and noise alerts become handy. When your dog walks past your camera or barks the machine will pick it up and immediately send a notification to your phone. You will know when to take a quick peek at your pet during your work day.
6. Night vision
Night vision is an important feature if you are going to mainly use a product like this while you go out to evening events or restaurants instead of monitoring your pet while you are at work. Most camera’s will offer both day and night vision. Night vision obviously won’t be as good of an image quality but it will allow you to see a few metres in front of the camera in a grainy black and white video.
7. Advanced features
If you are looking for a more technically advanced product you should consider if the camera can tilt, zoom, pan and rotate or if there are any remote controlled games e.g. a laser game when shopping.
My Dog Camera Recommendations
PetChatz HD and PawCall: Digital Daycare
Price:
Check Amazon for Current Price
Rating:
4 stars on Amazon
Review:
The PetChatz HD is advertised as doggy digital daycare because of the wide variety of things it can do. It has two way video and audio communication meaning your dog can see your face and hear your voice while you are at work or out and about. There also is PawCall which is a large button on the ground your dog can press to request a video call with you. An interesting feature is the addition of aromatherapy to combat separation anxiety. It also is a dog-safe design that has no corners, edges that could be dangerous or cords to chew. It can be controlled with ios, android or desktop computer.
Specifications:
| Measurements | 10 cm x 17 cm x 28 cm |
| Colour | White & Black |
| Two-way Communication | Two-way premium audio HD video pet treat camera w/DOGTV |
| Viewing Angle | 65.5 degrees |
| Camera Quality | 720p |
| Motion and Noise Alerts | 54 degrees motion detection Sound triggered video recording |
| Night Vision | Low light camera |
| Other | Needs WiFi Treats drop out of bottom Jingle plays when you initiate a call Dog can start communication Calming aromatherapy |
Petcube Bites 2 Wi-Fi Pet Camera with Treat Dispenser & Alexa Built-in for Dogs and Cats
Price:
Check Amazon for Current Price
Rating:
4 ½ stars on Amazon
Review:
The Petcube Bites 2 has lots of awesome features that makes it a good value pet camera. It has an ultra-wide lens, motion and sound alerts, built in Alexa and 1080p video quality. My favourite feature of this pet camera is the ability to fling treats out of it with the app. You swipe up to choose how far you throw it out of the machine. You can also schedule automatic treat dispersal with the app. It is compatible with iOS and Android.
Specifications:
| Measurements | 14.4 cm x 7.6 cm x 27 cm |
| Colour | Matte Silver & Black |
| Two-way Communication | Two-Way Audio One-way visual |
| Viewing Angle | 160 degrees |
| Camera Quality | 1080p |
| Motion and Noise Alerts | Yes, real time alerts |
| Night Vision | Yes |
| Other | Built in Alexa voice control Fling treats feature 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi support 4x zoom Optional membership for cloud storage |
Furbo Dog Camera: Treat Tossing, Full HD Wifi Pet Camera and 2-Way Audio, Designed for Dogs, Compatible with Alexa (As Seen On Ellen)
Price:
Check Amazon for Current Price
Rating:
4 stars on Amazon
Review:
The Furbo Dog Camera has won the Amazon Choice award for dog cameras. It is a very popular model of pet cameras and has been featured on the Ellen show, Buzzfeed, Forbes and much more. It has great features including a wide angle camera, two-way communication, motion and sound sensors that have sensitivity adjustments, notifications and treat tossing. My absolute favourite aspect of this product is the doggy diary feature where the app compiles a 60 seconds video of the features of your dog’s day.
Specifications:
| Measurements | 15 cm x 12 cm x 23 cm |
| Colour | White & Blue |
| Two-way Communication | Two-way audio One-way visual |
| Viewing Angle | 160 degrees |
| Camera Quality | 1080p |
| Motion and Noise Alerts | Yes, Adjustable sensitivity of barking sensor |
| Night Vision | Yes |
| Other | Treat tossing 4x zoom Doggie Diary |
Petzi Treat Cam: Wi-Fi Pet Camera & Treat Dispenser, Enabled with Amazon Dash Replenishment
Price:
Check Amazon for Current Price
Rating:
3 ½ stars on Amazon
Review:
This is a cheaper alternative to the pet cameras listed above. It doesn’t have as many features, one specific let down is only having one-way communication in both audio and visual. However for its price and other features it’s still a good buy. A stand out feature is the live treat level tracker so you always know how many treats are left in the machine while out.
Specifications:
| Measurements | 34 cm x 19 cm x 11.5 cm |
| Colour | White, Black, Pink |
| Two-way Communication | One-way audio One-way visual |
| Viewing Angle | 110 degree |
| Camera Quality | 720p |
| Motion and Noise Alerts | No |
| Night Vision | Low light camera |
| Other | Treat level tracker |
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I put my camera?
You should place your pet camera at your dog’s eye level or slightly above it. If the product comes with additional features such as a laser game you should experiment with height to see what gives the best results. Also consider the placement of the device. Avoid putting the camera near bright lights, lamps or windows that could interfere with the video quality. Also if the device is not mounted to the wall, put it in a position where your dog cannot knock it over or damage it. This location could be on top of a coffee table.
Does a pet camera need WiFi?
Yes, the majority of pet cameras operate through WiFi and would not work long distance without it. Some also have bluetooth if you are using it in close proximity.
How do I train my dog to come over to the camera when I am out?
To train a dog to come over to the camera when you are out you need to first start by introducing the device to your dog while you are at home. Use positive conditioning with treats.
- Lead you dog over to the pet camera. Let him sniff it and get used to it.
- Access the video feed of the camera through your phone’s app and call your pet with the two-way voice system or one of the ringtones
- When your dog comes over to the camera dispense a treat. Repeat this a few times.
- Move to a different room in the house and call the camera again. Wait for your dog to come into the camera view and dispense a treat. Keep on practising this until your dog associates the ringtone or your voice call from the pet camera with getting a treat.
- Practise calling your dog while he/she is home alone. Continue practising until your dog always comes to the pet camera.
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