Monitoring your dog with a home dog camera is an excellent way to see what they are doing, speak to them and ensure they are happy. There is a wide range of dog cameras available with the desirable models having a smartphone application for controlling it.

The best dog camera for home monitoring is the PetChatz HD with Two-Way Audio that connects to smartphones (iOS/Android) to record, speak and many other features in order to interact with your dog.

Features to look out for are 360 degree rotation, night vision, smartphone compatibility and high quality video. Pricing varies but when it comes to video quality, do not expect crisp clear quality if you are paying not a lot of money.

Best Cameras For Interacting With Your Dog

Dog dedicated cameras are not just the standard CCTV camera that is marketed as a “dog camera”. It will have features such as two way audio to interact between your dog and yourself as well as night vision to see them in their bed at night.

The reasons to own a top rated dog camera is so that you can monitor their happiness and health. Dogs can be intelligent but make bad decisions and owning a dog camera you may be able to spot something that they are doing that can seriously injure them.

Interacting with your dog whilst away at work or elsewhere is great for the both of you. It gives the dog owner peace of mind that they are safe and provide enjoyment whilst bored but also the dog can hear the owners voice and feel safe. Below is a list of the best dog cameras for home monitoring with a choice no matter your budget.

PetChatz HD Dog Camera

The PetChatz HD camera for dogs is a high specification two way audio system with excellent features for the ultimate package. It has one of the best two way audio systems in this article with a video chat feature so you can chat away to your dog.

It is a high end dog camera and the most expensive within this article but you get a 1280 x 720 and 30 Frame Per Second HD video quality, plenty of features and one years warranty. Another feature that is fairly impressive is that this camera can also dispense food although it must be dog food suggested by PetChatz.

No matter where you are in the world, as long as you have internet access and your smartphone, you will be able to communicate with your dog. There is a microphone, speaker and camera for video conference calls with your dog.

You are also able to record the video and also get notifications if there is movement from the motion sensors. Using the smartphone app, you can also press buttons to output ringtones to get your dogs attention. If they are feeling anxious, you can even output a scent/spray from the unit, which is very impressive.

In terms of the physicality of the dog camera, it uses a single mounting bracket and three screws to securely mount it. It is designed to be dog safe with no sharp edges or corners and it does not have any cords for the dog to chew on.

Overall, the PetChatz HD is the best dog camera you can buy and it ticks every box. It is expensive but with all the features and extras, the money you pay is worth it.

Furbo Dog Camera

The Furbo camera for dog monitoring is the main rival to the PetChatz alternative with its biggest advantage being that it is much cheaper. It does have some similarities such as an automatic feeder and recordings that can be watched via a smartphone application but with no camera for the dog to see you.

The camera itself is located at the top of the device and includes a speaker and a microphone. The 720P resolution provides adequate quality even in low light conditions with the excellent LED night vision. It also makes use of the 120 degree field of view and 4 times digital zoom.

The Furbo dog camera also features a “Treat Tosser” that allows you to play with your dog and give them the chance to catch the treat. Another neat feature is the Bark alert that sends you an alert to your smartphone when your dog is barking.

It is powered via a USB power cord and can be setup in seconds once you have the smartphone application installed. Overall it is the best cheap dog camera with great camera features from selfie notifications to one click snapshots.

Petcube Play Camera For Dogs

The Petcube is a trendy dog camera with 1080P HD video with 138 degree wide views that include 3 times zoom and night vision. The total cost of this device is still far lower than the PetChatz but it does lack in certain areas.

It is the best high quality video dog camera in this article with an impressive 1080P resolution that provides crisp clear footage. The higher resolution also improves the quality of the video when it is zoomed in using the 3 time zoom feature.

The only drawback is that there is no pan or tilt meaning you will have to place the wide angle view camera in a fixed location and test it until its exactly what you want.

Other features worthy of a mention are the remote controllable laser pointer, cloud storage (although a subscription is required), two way audio and of course a smartphone application for controlling the camera.

The Petcube dog camera provides high quality video footage at 1080P as well as a sleek and compact design. It is very popular among other dog owners and is reasonably priced compared to other alternatives.

Nexgadget HD Wireless Camera

The Nexgadget is a wireless dog camera that uses their smartphone app (iSmartViewPro) to connect through your WiFi. It provides a two way audio between you and your dog as well as a camera to monitor your dog in your home.

The display is true HD with a resolution of 720P and an advanced night vision mode with 12 built in infrared LED. On top of this, it has advanced pan and tilt that provides 350 degree horizontal and 90 degree vertical movements.

As it is wireless, you can mount the camera wherever you wish. For those looking for the best dog monitoring device, you can link 4 of these cameras at the same time.

This is the cheapest dog camera with high quality HD footage, which is highly rated. Many cheap cameras simply do not have this sort of quality and have other features such as two way audio.

Logitech Circle 2 Wireless HD

Logitech are a well known technology brand and their circle HD wireless camera is a great package. It is not marketed as dog camera but has certain feature that make it perfect for home use.

The main feature that the other best dog cameras within this article do not have is an all weather feature. This means you can mount it outside and it will be able to withstand bad weather conditions.

This means you are able to monitor your dog outdoors by using your smartphone to watch the footage. You can also talk and listen to your pet to make them feel safe or tell them off for misbehaving.

Using the Logitech Plug Mount, you are able to mount this camera wherever you feel will work best. Once mounted, you will be able to enjoy the 1080P Full HD video footage with a 180 degree wide angle glass lens.

Overall, the Logitech Circle 2 is the best outdoor dog camera you can buy with all the necessary features.

Home Dog Camera Buying Guide

There are many CCTV or surveillance cameras that can do the job of monitoring your dog. However, pet cameras but more specifically dog cameras are available provide many benefits over the conventional.

Keeping track on your dog whilst you are away from home is not only gives you peace of mind but it is also great fun. Watching your dogs daily routine and even feeding them with features from the PetChatz and Furbo is a great method of interaction.

Treat or Food Dispenser Camera For Dogs

A dispenser that feeds your dog a treat or food is found on many high end dog cameras as an additional feature. Some may see it as a fad but seeing that your dog is in the area via the camera is the perfect opportunity to dispense a treat.

If this is something that you want separately, we have already reviewed the recommended automatic dog food feeders but if you need both, the PetChatz or Furbo are perfect.

High Quality Recordings and Streams

The last thing you will want to do is buy a cheap dog camera that has terrible quality. Paying slightly more can get you a much higher quality video footage as a result. All of the best dog cameras above include a 720P+ HD display which is perfect for home monitoring of your dog.

Pan and Tilt Functionality

The ability to move the camera around enables to catch your dog at all angles. You will usually need to pay a premium for this sort of feature.

However, many that do not include this functionality will use a wide angle field of view to capture all the details that you need. Usually this is enough and you may find that you will set the pan and tilt in one position and leave it that way.

Two Way Audio

One of the most desirable features of the best dog cameras is the ability to hear from your dogs end and be able to talk to them. This is the best way to interact with your dog and you can get them to come over to the camera.

The ability to talk to your dog provides them with peace of mind when they are feeling anxious but you can also tell them off if they are barking for no reason. The PetChatz even include a video output for the dog, so you can have your own little human to dog video conference.

Dog Safe Camera

Adding extra hazards to the home with a poorly made dog camera can cause havoc. Injuring your dog with a sharp corner design can be easily avoided by going with a sleek rounded corner design such as the PetChatz.

Many cameras will use a cord to retrieve a power source, which is fine as long as its hidden from the dog. Dog will chew absolutely anything is they are not trained well enough and having a cord dangling in front of them is just asking for trouble.

Night Vision Capability

Checking that your dog is sleeping happily or seeing what they are barking at during the night requires night vision. Not many dog owners will leave the light on during the night so this feature is essential.

Often cameras include infrared LED’s that are used for night vision and work great. Always check the photos on the packet to gauge an idea of the quality. All of the above top rated dog cameras include excellent night vision footage.

Smartphone Pairing

All of the recommended dog cameras above include support for smartphones, tablets and computers. It is a crucial part that allows the user to control various aspects of the camera from two way audio, taking snapshots, dispensing food and much more.

The majority of manufacturers include a free application without any “in app” purchases that allow you to do exactly this.

Conclusion

Choosing the best dog camera for you is up to your budget and personal preference. The PetChatz is our top rated device but may be outside of many dog owners budgets.

Regardless of your choice of dog camera, the purpose of owning one in the first place in very beneficial. Being able to interact with your dog to ensure that they are safe or even tell them off is a great option to have right at your pocket via a smartphone.

Your dogs can get up to mischief whilst they think they are alone and recording there movements with high quality video footage is great fun.

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