Do Dogs Watch Television?

Many pet parents swear that their dogs enjoy watching television. And the truth is, they may be correct. Certain television programs can be just as stimulating for dogs as they can be for humans, keeping them entertained and involved in the program. So how do you know if your dog enjoys television? Take a look at some helpful tips to find the answer to this question. The use of certain programming may be helpful in keeping your dog stimulated and entertained.

I know for us Davinia does not like to hear barking on tv she will bark she also does not like tv shows with fighting of any sort. ON the other hand Davinia and Indiana both seem to be enthralled by the Teletubbies. We found this out by accident one day when a friend asked us to baby sit for a few hours. We turned on the tv and the Teletubbies happened to be on. The baby and the dogs all loved it. I thought it might have been a fluke and they were only interested because the baby was interested so I tried several more times without the baby and each time they sat and watched.

1. Turn on nature channels.
On nature based channels such as NatGeo, a variety of animals are shown and heard. Your dog may enjoy seeing the various animals and hearing the various sounds. Try turning on a nature based channel, and see how they respond. Don’t turn the sound up too high or you will risk hurting their ears which are very sensitive compared to ours.

2. Watch for involvement, not anxiousness.
You don’t want the sight of animals running all over the screen to make your dog anxious. He may get excited and want to watch further, but if he becomes nervous or anxious simply turn the program off.

3. Find doggy friendly DVDS.
There are DVDs available on Amazon made just for dogs. They include sequences and sounds that dogs find entertaining and appealing. Try one of these films with your dog to see if it is something he enjoys.

4. Watch for jumping.
You don’t want your dog to get so excited he jumps on the tv. Always monitor his interaction with the shows and see how he responds. If he becomes so excited he wants to “join” the critters on screen, turn it off.