Our top Nest Cam tips for pup parents

I don’t know where I’d be without my rescue mutt, Ted, who my husband and I adopted when Ted was eight weeks old. Since then we’ve watched his personality unfold, we’ve (kind of) trained him, and he’s taught me all about patience, unconditional love and friendship. With his wagging tail and watchful little eyes, Ted never fails to cheer me up and make me feel safe. And science backs this up: studies have shown that dogs lower our stress levels and improve our health. But despite all we know about dogs, one thing remains a mystery: what do they do all day while we’re away from home? 

It’s easy to check in on your pup with an indoor camera like the Nest Cam Indoor or Nest Cam IQ Indoor, which show you a video feed of your dog in action. The cameras even let you talk and listen to them—plus, with a Nest Aware subscription you can record and replay cute clips, then save and share them. 

It’s National Dog Day, so we’ve compiled our top six Nest Cam tips (some require a Nest Aware subscription). Barking at you, pup parents.

1. Keep up with training. Thanks to the two-way talk feature on Nest Cam Indoor and IQ Indoor, you can position your camera to keep an eye on a forbidden piece of furniture and will receive a notification if Fluffy is up to no good. Simply speak into the Nest app to tell them to get off the couch, or to give positive reinforcement.

2. Soothe your dog’s anxiety. Nest Cams monitor for conspicuous sounds like a boom, crash, or barking and howling, so if your dog is stressed and making noises, your camera can let you know (and next time you can leave a soothing toy before heading out to work).
   

3. Avoid dumpster diving. With Nest Aware, set an Activity Zone in the Nest App around an area your pup tends to get into (like the garbage bin) and receive a notification if they linger near it.
   

4. Capture candid clips. Glance through your video history and watch highlights in Sightline (your camera’s timeline in the Nest app). You might catch Bella doing downward dog, or Buster having a case of the zoomies.
   

5. Know when your dog walker arrives. With Nest Aware, you’ll get a familiar faces notification when your walker enters the view of your Nest Cam IQ or Nest Hello—but make sure you have your walker’s permission first (familiar face alerts are not available on Nest Cams used in Illinois).
   

6. Share highlights with your friends and family. With Nest Aware, create a mini timelapse of your favorite clips to melt the hearts of your loved ones, and even post videos and photos to your social channels.
   

Have a paw-some day!