http://www.care2.com/greenliving/does-your-dog-watch-tv.html
Does your Dog Watch TV?
By Melissa Breyer, Senior Editor, Healthy & Green Living
Almost everyone I know with a dog claims that their pooch watches television. I believe them, but I also know that a dog’s eyesight is very different from ours, so what exactly does “watching TV” mean for a dog?
Pet experts say that a lot of dogs will actually follow the movement of objects on the screen–and may even bark. However a dog doesn’t see the screen the same way we do. Although dogs don’t see exclusively in black and white (as many people think), they don’t have the same range of color that humans do. There are fewer cones (color vision cells) in a dog’s eye than in a human’s eye. Yet, dogs have many more rods (light and motion detectors) than we do, so although they see a limited spectrum, they can see better at night. Dogs can also see flickering light better than we can, which means they might even be able to see individual frames in a television sequence where we would see a continuous scene.
Because of the anatomy of a dog’s eyes, the dog cannot tell what an object on the screen actually is. But the movement and shapes he is able to see can be pretty intriguing! The sounds emitted from the television are attention-grabbers as well. Because dogs can pinpoint the directional origin of sounds they hear, the TV can be quite aurally entertaining. Although experts say that a dog’s acute hearing can differentiate between a television sound and a live sound, many a dog still seem to be fairly well entertained by the sounds coming from the set. Now if only they had TVs that could emit the smell of a fire hydrant or BBQ–I bet we’d find more dogs watching TV–or at least licking the set…
Does your dog watch TV? What kind of programs does he or she like? Leave a comment!
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151 comments
add your comment »My girlfriend's pug sometimes takes a fair amount of interest in the tv, but usually he doesn't notice it. He did really seem to be interested in Grindhouse: Planet Terror however.
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Our dogs loved the tv but I also believe that they just loved being with us and would have stayed with us regardless if we were watching tv or not. They didn't do anything particular when they watched it, although the female definitely looked up when she heard children's voices.
My two lovebirds interacted more with the tv. They were a nightmare when I was watching environmental programmes and birds came on. They would squark like crazy, drove me mad but I had to love them as they were telling everyone that this was their territory. But the dogs were quite serene in comparison, LOL!
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My dog "Mercedes" doesn't watch tv. After reading the other comments, I wonder if this is normal. She might recognize a bark (if it's ongoing) but other than that, shows no interest. She doesn't even respond to her reflection in the mirror. She's very intelligent though. She understands our conversations, especially certain words like "treat", "bath", and "4-wheeler ride." She knows she's the most loved dog ever, is very "spoiled," and is the queen of the house.
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My Maggie, a JRT/poodle mix, seems genuinely engaged by tv. She barks at different commercials that have animals, shows that have sirens, baby commercials, even sports. She is genuinely engaged with the programming, even tries to lunge at the tv screen at a dog in a dog food commercial. It is hysterical but also a bad habit that can be annoying.
She has done this since being a small puppy. She competes with the dogs on TV or other animals, horses, repities, animals she has never seen in her life, wild life. She actively engages the screen as if it is reality. I have never seen a dog do this. she is quite active, above average dog intelligence, has trained very easily and is constantly gregarious and ready for play 24/7.
she also actively engages with computer screens and animal noises from radio, the computer or other inanimate objects. It is amazing but at times also becomes a behavioral problem!
She will follow a ball in sports like she does when she plays in the fields, she is really over the top when it comes to watching tv and multi media. she recognize shapes, and some colors.
Has anyone else had similar issues with their pets? How do you cope with it?
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My westie, Candy reacts to animals or loud fight scenes on tv - even cartoon animals. My sister's westie, Griffey, will come running from other parts of the house when he hears the music from certain shows or commercials. It makes me crazy!
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My golden loves dog shows. My big lug, a lab, will dash into the room and bark at the television, if he hears a dog bark on tv. Odd that he knows the difference between a dog outside and a dog on tv, barking.
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My dogs, Jazmin and Angel both watch TV. Jaz personally prefers drama and action shows. She will sit down in her corner beside the couch and will stare at the TV with her ears perked forward. It's so adorable! Lolz. There are times too where she is so ingulfed in the show, she won't respond to us for a few seconds. Angel on the other hand, she will watch TV but it really depends on what mood she is in. It's really interesting. Most days though, she really likes reality and action shows.
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my 1 year old Jazzy loves watching tv, favourite is football matches. When they are scoring a goal she sticks her ears up and moves closer to the screen! When there is a dog on tv she goes behind the wall to see where the rest of the dog is.
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My 13 year old Lowchen has watched TV since she was a puppy - but she only reacts to animals,birds and cartoon characters. She sits on the couch every evening at 6:00 waiting for me to turn on Sesame Street, which she watches start to finish - growls, barks, chortles every now and then. She also watches baseball with me but has no interest in football or basketball. No way she doesn't "see" what she's watching.
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Yes I don't know if they see what I see anatomy wise or whatever.
I just know that my pomeranian and shih tzu fight over the remote and they both have 3 or 4 favorite channels each. My pom "Ginger" likes discovery, soaps (like days of our lives), animal planet, and sometimes she turns on action like amc. My shih tzu "Trixie" likes cartoons..Cartoon network, pbs vegetales, nickalodeane, and nogan.. also sometimes at night she watches Disney.There is NODOUT in the universe that they both ABSOLUTELY watch tv. And they know how to work a charter remote and get to the guide. Ginger might bite you if you change her soap. It's really funny to watch the change the channel and fight over the remote. Lately my cat has been watching tv too.
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