How to Use a Pet Camera to Check on a Dog Home Alone
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Most dogs settle and sleep when their people go out. Some do not, and because it happens when you are away, you may never see it. A pet camera shows you what your dog actually does while you are gone. This guide covers where to put the camera, how to make your first recordings, what to look for in the footage, how to use short absences to build your dog up, and when what you see is a reason to talk to your vet or a qualified behaviourist.
How we wrote this: the advice comes from Dogs Trust’s guides to separation anxiety in dogs and helping a dog get used to time alone, and Best Friends Animal Society’s page on separation anxiety: causes, signs and solutions. Product facts come from our product pages, which cite the makers and reviewers. We put their advice in our own words and mark our own tips with “in our view”. All were checked on 2 November 2026. We did not test any cameras for this guide, and we do not show prices or ratings. A camera does not treat anxiety; it helps you see what is going on.
Why watch a dog that is home alone?
Dogs Trust points out that signs of separation anxiety are hard to spot because, by their nature, they happen when the dog is alone. Its advice is to find out what your dog does once you have gone: record it on your phone, watch from outside without being seen, or set up a remote camera you can view on another device. It also lists a camera among the things that can help when you leave a dog.
In our view, a camera is useful in three situations:
- you have a new dog or puppy and want to see how it copes before you leave it for longer,
- you have come home to damage, accidents or a neighbour mentioning barking, and need to see what happens,
- you are building up time alone step by step and want to know when to move on and when to slow down.
Step 1: choose a camera that fits the room
The main differences are how much of the room the camera sees, whether you can hear and speak through it, and whether it can toss a treat. Recording history and alerts often need a paid plan. Three cameras from our catalog:
- Furbo 360 Dog Camera: a camera that rotates for a 360 degree view, with 1080p video, color night vision, two-way audio and a built-in treat tosser. Our product page notes that alerts and recordings are an optional subscription after a free trial.
- Petcube Bites 2 Lite: a fixed camera with a 160 degree wide-angle lens, night vision, two-way audio and a treat dispenser you control from the app. Video history and smart alerts come with an optional subscription.
- Petcube Cam: a compact camera with a 110 degree lens, night vision and two-way audio, and no treat dispenser.
Our best pet camera guide compares them in more detail, with independent review notes. In our view, if your main goal is to watch for signs of stress, recording matters more than a treat tosser: you want footage you can play back, not just a live view.
Step 2: place the camera where your dog spends its time
Dogs Trust advises setting the camera up where your dog spends most of its time, and says you may need to try a few spots before you find the best one. In our view:
- Cover the door you leave through. Dogs Trust counts lingering by that door among the signs of anxiety, so you want it in view.
- Get the bed or resting spot in frame too, so you can see whether your dog settles.
- Put it out of reach. A shelf or wall mount stops a curious dog knocking it over or chewing the cable. Furbo suggests placing its camera 60 to 120 cm above the floor.
- Check the view on your phone before you go, and make sure the Wi-Fi reaches that spot.
If you use a baby gate to keep your dog in one room, place the camera in that room. Dogs Trust suggests giving your dog a space it would normally choose to spend time in, as a small space it does not like can add to the problem.
Step 3: make a short first recording
For the first recording, in our view, keep it short and normal. Leave the way you usually do, for something like 10 to 20 minutes, and record the whole time. Dogs Trust suggests a walk and a toilet chance before you go, and a comfy, safe resting place.
When you come back, watch the footage from the moment you left, not just the end. A dog that whines for a minute and then lies down is in a very different place from one that is still pacing after 15 minutes.
Step 4: what to look for in the footage
Dogs Trust lists these signs that a dog may be anxious about being left:
- barking, whining, whimpering or howling,
- pacing, or jumping up as you get ready to go or once you have gone,
- scratching or chewing furniture, doorways and household items,
- going to the toilet inside,
- being unable to rest or settle for long,
- hanging around the door you used to leave, or watching from a window,
- trembling, panting or drooling, which are easier to miss but still signs of distress,
- no interest in the chew or toy left for it.
Best Friends adds that destructive behaviour is often aimed at exits such as doors and windows, or at items that smell of you, and that some dogs drool heavily. Its point about true separation anxiety is that the signs keep going until you return, rather than settling after a few minutes.
In our view, note the time stamps: when the first sign started, how long it lasted and whether your dog settled. That record is useful if you later speak to your vet or a behaviourist.
Step 5: build up with short absences
Both charities describe the same approach: build up time alone very slowly, and only move on while your dog stays relaxed. Dogs Trust suggests starting with just a few minutes, and that if you see signs of worry you should go back a step and progress more slowly. Best Friends suggests very short absences at first, such as stepping out of a door you do not usually use for a minute or two, adding time only if your dog stays comfortable, and practising many absences of under 10 minutes.
This is where a camera earns its place. In our view:
- Watch live during each short absence, and come back before your dog becomes upset if you can.
- Only add time after a few calm sessions in a row.
- If the footage shows signs of stress, make the next absence shorter.
Dogs Trust also advises keeping departures and returns low-key, without a big fuss, and says no dog should be on its own for longer than four hours. If you need to be out longer, it suggests arranging for someone to pop in.
Two-way audio and treat tossing: use with care
It is tempting to talk to a dog that is barking on camera. In our view, hearing your voice with no one there can confuse some dogs, so test it while your dog is calm and stop if it seems to make things worse.
Treat tossing works the same way. In our view, toss a treat only when your dog is calm, so the camera rewards settling; tossing one to a dog that is barking or pacing may reward the barking.
When to talk to a vet or behaviourist
If the footage shows signs of anxiety, Dogs Trust says it is important to see a vet, since there may be a medical problem that is hard to spot. It gives the example of a urinary tract infection, which can make a dog restless and cause accidents indoors. Best Friends lists other medical conditions whose signs can overlap with separation anxiety, and recommends a vet visit whenever a dog’s behaviour changes suddenly.
Book a vet check, then ask about a qualified behaviourist, if your dog:
- barks, howls, paces or scratches at doors for most of the time it is alone,
- damages doors, windows or furniture, or hurts itself trying to get out,
- drools, pants or trembles heavily, or has accidents when it is otherwise house-trained,
- gets worse rather than better as you build up absences.
Never punish what you see on the footage. Dogs Trust explains that dogs do not link being told off when you get home to something they did hours earlier, and that it can make them more worried about being left. Best Friends notes that working through separation anxiety can take months; a vet or behaviourist can help you make a plan.
If you use a crate, read should you crate a dog with separation anxiety before shutting an anxious dog in one.
FAQ
Can a pet camera help with separation anxiety?
A camera does not treat anxiety, but it shows you what your dog does when it is alone. Dogs Trust suggests filming your dog to check for signs of anxiety, and using what you see to set the pace of training.
Where should I put a dog camera?
Where your dog spends most of its time, with the door you leave through in view. Dogs Trust says you may need to try a few spots to find the best one.
Should I talk to my dog through the camera?
Some dogs settle at a familiar voice and others get more worked up when they hear you but cannot find you. In our view, test it while your dog is calm and stop if it makes things worse.
How long can I leave my dog home alone?
Dogs Trust advises a four-hour limit for any dog left alone, and building up to it gradually, starting with a few minutes.
More for dogs left at home: how to get a dog used to a baby gate and our best pet camera picks.