This Furbo review is based on a free sample – but opinions are all our own!
Stop everything, because I’ve found the best dog accessory. EVER.
I was recently given a complimentary Furbo to review, and what can I say? I love it.
What is Furbo? The Basic Idea
Having had a home wireless camera for a while, I know that 99% of what you use them for is watching your pets.
Like, who doesn’t wonder what their dog or cat does when you’re not home?
The genius thing about Furbo is that it’s a home security camera that is based on this knowledge. The Furbo is a combo camera and treat dispenser so that you can now watch, talk to AND treat your dog while you’re not home.
My first impression is that the Furbo looks pretty cool. The simple white and wood design doesn’t scream “dog treat”, and it will fit in with most decor schemes.
How to Set Up Furbo
Setting up Furbo out of the box was pretty simple.
Your first job is to plug in the Furbo and then download the Furbo app to your phone. You’ll need to connect your Furbo to the WiFi, and once that’s done, you’re ready to go. We did have to play around a bit with the device’s location, to get a reliable WiFi connection, but once connected, we haven’t had any issues.
The app actually has a nice little tutorial that walks you through the key features, including creating profiles for your pets, and adding your email address.
All that’s now left to do is lift off the wooden lid, and fill your Furbo with your chosen dog treat.
Review: How Furbo Works
Once your Furbo is set up, it’s controlled entirely by app.
Open the app on your phone, and you’ll be able to see real-time video of your home. The field of vision is quite wide, so if your camera is in a corner you’ll be able to see most of the room.
While we’re out, Teddy spends most of her time either in the lounge window watching the builders who are still working on our road. But in the afternoons, our kitchen is so warm and sunny that she likes to stretch out here for a sunbathe.
I opted to put Furbo in the kitchen, figuring that this would be somewhere I’m happy to have dog treats flying around the floor.
Sharing Treats Using Furbo
My favourite part of the Furbo is definitely the ability to give treats while you’re away from home.
To treat your dog, you simply swipe up on the treat icon on the app home screen. Furbo makes a distinctive chiming sound, and then fires a treat out of the front of the device.
Teddy is not afraid of the noise the device makes, but she’s rarely quick enough to catch the treat – she prefers to wait for them to hit the floor, then she’ll run around madly trying to hoover them up.
But if your dog is more co-ordinated than my little Westie, then your Furbo can even capture cute little videos of them in action!
This is the best we could do:
The app will keep track of how many treats your dog has had that day, so you’re not over-feeding.
Now, you’ll probably need to experiment with the exact size and nature of the treats you use. Some things work better than others.
If the treats are kibble sized, we found that the Furbo would send 10 of them scattering around the floor. If they were too soft, they got stuck in the mechanism. Cheese will not work in a Furbo!
Eventually we got some chunky, biscuit-style treats that we could cut in half, and they worked fine.
Teddy very quickly realised that the Furbo chime meant that food was on the horizon. The app suggests it takes a week for dogs to learn about Furbo, but with a food-motivated dog, I think that time is much shorter.
Furbo also offers you the opportunity to talk to your dog. If there’s one feature of the device we don’t love, this is probably it.
Teddy is a dog of small brain. Hearing our voice come out of a machine, slightly distorted, just confuses her. I worry that it actually causes her stress, so we don’t use the feature at all. But your own furry friend might react differently.
Furbo Review: Overall Impressions
We think the Furbo is a lot of fun. Firstly, it’s a decent home security camera – although I was a tiny bit offended the time I sneezed and a moment later received a notification. According to Furbo, “Your dog is barking”.
Rude.
Aside from comparing my sneeze to barking, Furbo works really well, connects easily and has been very reliable.
The treat dispenser adds some interest to Teddy’s time home alone, and I like the reassurance of knowing that if I dispense a treat, Ted will come running so I can see she’s okay.
Discount Code: Save £50 on a Brand New Furbo!
We hope you enjoyed our Furbo review! If you’re interesting in adding Furbo to your family home, the Furbo is available to buy online, at furbo.com.
This cute little device normally retails at £249 but you can get £50 off your Furbo using the code whosthemummy50 at checkout. Click here to find out more and buy your Furbo!
