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Loading...Does your Dog Watch TV?
- Melissa Breyer
- May 16, 2011
- 7:01 am
- 347 comments
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-grabbing 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.
Does your dog watch TV? What kind of programs does he or she like?
Read more: Behavior & Communication, Dogs, Pets, dogs, television, TV
By Melissa Breyer, Senior Editor, Healthy & Green Living
Melissa Breyer
Melissa Breyer is a writer and editor with a background in sustainable living, specializing in food, science and design. She is the co-author of True Food (National Geographic) and has edited and written for regional and international books and periodicals, including The New York Times Magazine. Melissa lives in Brooklyn, NY.
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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
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Learn something new everyday.
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347 comments
+ add your ownYes! We have a Sheepadoodle puppy, Annie, who watches tv if any dog is on it. She is totally into it. I believe she absolutely recognizes dogs, with or without barking. Initially she ran behind the tv wall to try to find the dogs. Now she just paws at the dog images as they move about. Unless a dog is on the tv, she doesn't seem to enjoy watching. Walter made a brief (1+min) video of Annie watching the Shaggy DA and Westminster Dog Show. Pretty funny. Here's a link - enjoy! You may have to copy and paste.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-LLQji5A3A
Our Bernese, Polo, didn't care about TV, his interest was singing when my father played viola, or his students played violin, his tail wagging like crazy. On the other hand, Max would growl every time President Nixon came on the screen. It was hilarious! Was she detecting a lack of integrity? It was uncanny!
On the other hand, Polo LOVED to sing when my father played violin or viola. When his students came to the house, Polo would always join in for a duet, wagging his tail like crazy! Then settle down and listen to the music. Now our cat comes in, primly sits on the chair, and waits for the concert! She loves music too! TV wasn't as exciting as the music in the living room.
Our dog Polo didn't care at all, never looked at the TV when it was on. Max, on the other hand, would growl every time President Nixon came on years ago. It was hilarious! She obviously was in tune with something there, sensed a lack of integrity perhaps??? or perhaps picked up on our feelings!
Mine, do and they always bark at Anderson Cooper - HA - is the darnest thing!
I'm sorry but my dog watches all kinds of TV. He sits up like he's a human on the couch and stares at the television. He definitely pays attention to any dogs on the screen and he notices them w/out them making a sound so it's not the bark that made him pay attention. Now he pays attention to cats too.
My dog watches TV for specific animal commercials where doggies bark, or kitties scampering across the screen and Animal Planet and Dog Show programs. She watches intently at times and runs to the TV on her, stands up on her hind legs and talks (barks) to them while on the screen. Sometimes she just sits and watches.
You'd need to be careful, as with children, about what you let it watch. Some programmes might cause it to behave badly. And as for the adverts........
My dog liked to watch T.V. I have pictures of his doing so to prove it. His favorites were all my nature tapes, especially the elephants. His favorite was the movie The Ugly Dachshund. MAX was a doxie.
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