Best pet camera for a Newfoundland in a small hallway

A Newfoundland in a cottage hallway is a lovely image — but you're right that covering a big dog bed in a tight space is a real camera challenge. Pet cameras range from basic motion-activated models to ones with two-way audio and treat dispensers, and the right pick really depends on what you want to do with it. To point you in the right direction: is this mainly so you can check he's settled while you're out, or do you want to be able to talk to him or interact in some way too?

Got it — so you need a wide field of view more than anything, because you can't step the camera back very far. How narrow are we talking, roughly? And where would you mount it — wall, shelf, or a surface like a side table?

That's actually a decent setup — a camera on a shelf at head height pointing down a narrow hallway will work well if the lens is wide enough. For this I'd go with the TP-Link Tapo C200. It has a 360-degree pan and 114-degree wide-angle lens, so from a metre and a half away you'll comfortably capture the full width of Barnaby's bed. You can tilt it down slightly to frame the shot, and the app is genuinely easy to use — just open it and there he is. It also has two-way audio if you ever want to tell him to settle, and motion alerts so your phone will nudge you if he does start pacing. It's under £30, runs on Wi-Fi, and the image quality is solid enough to tell whether a giant fluffy dog is relaxed or restless.

Yes, the Tapo C200 has infrared night vision built in — it switches automatically when the light drops and gives you a clear greyscale picture. You'll easily be able to see whether Barnaby is lying down or wandering about, even in a dark hallway. It's one of the reasons it suits this kind of indoor monitoring so well.

Hope Barnaby takes to having an eye on him — and that it gives you a bit of peace of mind when you're out. The Tapo C200 is a reliable bit of kit for the money. Good luck to both of you.