This is a specific conversation about Pet cameras — watching them when you're away — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Running out of treats too quickly is a real frustration — especially if you've got an active, treat-motivated dog who you're trying to engage throughout the day. Before I point you toward something with a bigger hopper, tell me a bit more: how old is your Border Collie, roughly how many hours a day are they home alone, and are you mainly using the treats to reward calm behaviour, or to break up boredom and keep them occupied?
She's three years old, home alone about six hours on work days. I was using it to reward her when she wasn't barking at the window — kind of positive reinforcement from a distance. My last camera had a tiny hopper and I'd be out of treats by lunchtime.
inparticular.ai
That's a really smart use of a treat camera — remote reinforcement for a specific behaviour is exactly what these things are good for with a bright dog like a Border Collie. The problem is that most cameras assume you'll toss the odd treat now and then, not run a proper training session across a full working day. How many treats roughly were you dispensing — a handful here and there, or were you going through quite a lot each session?
Probably five or six each time I caught her being good, maybe three or four times in the morning and a couple in the afternoon. It adds up fast. I think the old one held about 30 treats max.
inparticular.ai
That maths makes complete sense — thirty treats is genuinely nothing for that kind of schedule. The one I'd steer you toward is the Furbo 360 Dog Camera. Its hopper holds around 100 treats, which should comfortably cover a full work day at your rate without refilling. The 360-degree rotating camera is worth having for a Border Collie too, since they move around a lot and you won't spend half your time trying to spot where she's gone. It has two-way audio, so you can pair a voice cue with the treat the moment she's being calm — which tightens up the reinforcement nicely. It also has a barking alert, so it can notify you when she starts up at the window, meaning you can intervene and reward in real time rather than just hoping you catch it. It's available on Amazon UK and sits in the mid-price range for cameras with dispensers. The one thing to flag: it works best with small, hard treats — anything soft or crumbly tends to jam. Stick to something like Zuke's Mini Naturals or similar and you'll have no issues.
That sounds perfect actually. Does it need a subscription to use all those features, or is it a one-off purchase?
inparticular.ai
The core features — live view, treat tossing, two-way audio, and barking alerts — are all included with the camera, no subscription needed. Furbo does offer a paid Furbo Dog Nanny plan that adds things like activity tracking and a daily highlight video, but it's genuinely optional. For what you're doing, the free features are everything you need. The camera itself on Amazon UK is typically around £149–£169 depending on when you look.
Great, I think that's the one. Thanks for talking it through.
inparticular.ai
Good luck with the training — it's a clever approach and a Border Collie should pick up on the remote reinforcement quickly. One last tip: do a short test run at home first so she associates the treat sound with the dispenser before you rely on it while you're out. Makes the whole thing work a lot better from day one.
