ARTICLE SUPPORTED BY FURBO
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Our first impression of the Furbo Dog Camera was the sleek packaging and design. There were no lengthy instructions or complicated manual to follow just a well designed pamphlet with three simple steps to follow to get set up. Whilst the Furbo was charging (this takes 2 to 3 minutes the first time it's used) we downloaded the iPhone app and created a profile for Hiro who had taken on the task of product testing the new device over Christmas.
SET UP
The light on the Furbo turned green and we followed the prompts on the app to connect it to our Wifi. Now we could see the room through a wide angle 160degree camera lens. We went back into the settings and switched the 'bark alert' to ON to be notified instantly of noise when away from home. We also changed the 6 second recording that plays before shooting out a treat to a personal message that Hiro would hopefully recognise as his pawrents voices!
As instructed by the app, Hiro was first given a treat then watched as we put another treat into the Furbo, he was already interested, giving the Furbo a good sniff all over. A simple swipe up played our message and popped out a tasty snack which was eagerly gobbled up! We did this a few times to reinforce the message then headed out to try the device 'in real life'.
HIRO'S REACTION
Half an hour later we thought we would check in on Hiro, he was snoozing happily in his favourite sunny spot so we thought we'd give him a little reward. By pressing on the microphone in the bottom right hand corner we were able to communicate directly with Hiro, his ears pricked and he came searching towards the Furbo, a little flick of the screen and "Good Boy Hiro" the message was delivered and a little tasty reward popped out.
OUR VERDICT
We loved using Furbo, with its easy interface and sleek design that would fit into any home. Hiro isn't much of a barker and is pretty happy left to his own devices but we really enjoyed being able to check in on him. We could see that this device would really come into its own for anxious dogs and when training puppies and rescues. Battersea Dog and Cats Home have some interesting case studies on how the have used Furbo as part of a training programme to encourage calmer behaviour in stressed dogs.
We can't wait to set Furbo up at Hiro + Wolf HQ to see how Wolf responds to it, as the more anxious of the pair we think he could really benefit from this device.
Find out more about Furbo Dog Camera or purchase one for your pet on their website. You can also follow them @furbodogcamera