I tried a pet camera that helped ease my dog’s separation anxiety

02 November 2023 , 18:00

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Belle has recently been struggling with separation anxiety so we tried a pet camera to see if it would help

Ever since my sister-in-law fell pregnant earlier this year, one of their beloved dogs developed separation anxiety. She and my brother would return home and Belle, their two-year-old Staffie cross German shepherd, would have caused some form of destruction from ripping up the stair runner, to shredding pillows and even taking a nibble on the mattress.

In order to combat her worries of being left at home, they would spend a fortune on toys, chews and tiring her out before popping out to the shops or round mine for a cuppa. And while it worked to an extent, she’d still on occasion find a slipper to chomp on, a cushion to de-stuff or piece of furniture to gnaw on.

I had told them about the we had used to keep an eye on my dogs Phoebe and Frank, but at almost £200, it would have been a costly investment and with the baby on the way in December, Christmas and more. So, we hunted out a cheaper alternative in the back in October.

Usually is a do-all dog-cam where you can see, speak to, and even throw treats to your dog, boasting clear night vision, Alexa compatibility and more. The monitor itself is on the large side and looks quite techy, so you’ll want to find somewhere for it to live where it will blend in but still capture your dogs. To me, it looks a bit like a speaker, so on a media unit or near a TV would work well. It’s perhaps one of the only downsides to it in comparison to the sleek looking , which almost looks like a fragrance diffuser and looks smart anywhere.

The was quick and easy to set up via the app, and linked up to the WiFi with no issues. The video shows , and has a 160 degree view and is static, whereas the Furbo offers 360 degree views. However, if you’re smart about where you place the camera - such as a corner of the room - you’ll still get maximum room coverage.

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The Petcube camera is £149 on Amazon

We set the up in my brother’s bedroom facing the dog bed, where Belle and her American bulldog brother, Winston, spend most of their time when home alone. As well as sharp streaming, the camera allows for 30 feet of clear night vision, with an eight times digital zoom to get a closer look at your pet.

Much like the the offers smooth two-way audio so you can hear your pet, and if you so wish, can speak to them too. This feature came in handy when the camera detected Belle with a slipper, and my sister-in-law was able to speak to the cheeky pooch through the camera and get her to stop before any damage was done. Some trainers say that speaking to your dog through these devices can be confusing for them, but Belle seems to find it to be a bit of a comfort and reassurance. It’s also a great feature to help prevent destructive behaviour.

The quality of the video is great and you can even zoom in to see what your pet is up to

Speaking of which, the if your camera detects any sound or motion at home, such as barking. My brother’s home was broken into last year, so this camera adds an additional layer of security and offers invaluable peace of mind.

Finally, the has a dishwasher-safe treat dispenser with a 1.5lbs container that allows you to toss dry, crunchy dog treats at short, medium, or long distances. You can use the app to manually throw treats, or schedule them to go say, every half an hour on the app. The before releasing the treats, and it didn’t take long for Winston and Belle to understand what it means. They’ve really loved foraging for the thrown treats on the floor, which act as a reward for good behaviour, or can distract from undesirable behaviour, too.

What’s more is that, like the , you can connect the camera to your Amazon Alexa device and start dishing out vocal commands such as getting it to release the treats. This, alongside our the whole house could be powered by Alexa soon, and I don’t think I’d be mad about it.

Cheeky pooch Belle has taken great interest in the Petcube camera

Other owners have loved using it too, with one Amazon shopper commenting: “My beloved lab loves it so much and so do I. As I spend most of the day at work, now I can talk to her, say something reassuring and even make her stop chewing on our door mat while being away! The loveliest part is the PetCube's dispenser sound before treats tossing. She instantly gets so excited waiting to catch a treat. She recognises it instantly. I prefer using the smallest treats as they got scattered around the room so that my dog needs to run and sniff for them trying to find every bit.”

Another added: “Got this for my dog so I can check on her on the days I have to be in the office and so far she loves it. Set up was super easy and the camera itself is good quality and the night vision works well, there’s the option to speak and listen too so a lot can be done with it and it’s been quite fun for both of us, her more so because of the treats. You can also wall mount it or have it free standing, at the moment we’re testing to see which one works best.”

Although one said it wasn’t suitable for their pet because some of the features are too ‘loud’. They wrote: “This product is not good for dogs with sound sensitivity. The treat function is very loud and there are many clicks that happen throughout the day. I thought my dog was barking all the time, but he was just barking when I was watching him because of the sound.”

It didn't take Belle long to work out where the treats were coming from

Overall, while the Petcube is nearly £150 at full-price, it’s still a lot cheaper than constantly replacing cushions, slippers and carpets after Belle had got hold of them. With a baby on the way, they’ll be popping out even more frequently for appointments and scans, and will find the camera particularly helpful when actually having the baby. Since installing the camera, Belle has definitely been less destructive. Whether that's because she knows she's being watched or is simply waiting for the new treat-spitting robot to cough up a snack, I'm not sure, but it seems to have done the trick and eased her separation anxiety.

The , from the live stream to the clear audio and treat tossing feature, there are just a couple of additional features on the Furbo that give it the edge, which is why it’s our That said, with Black Friday on the way, the Petcube is a fantastic cheaper alternative that could well be reduced again.

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Bethan Shufflebotham