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Dogs watching TV!
One of my client’s pups, Daisy, just got spayed 9 days ago. She’s had a rough time recovering, but what pulls her through the no activity restriction is watching the Olympics on TV, wearing the cone. I joked with the owner, oh, what’s her favorite sport to watch? She said, quite seriously, she loves the gymnastics, swimming and beach volleyball!
This is so fascinating to me, as I’ve never had a dog who’s watched TV or even noticed anything on the big screen. So…my questions:
Does your dog watch TV for enrichment? If so, what do they enjoy watching the most?
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33 Replies
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I am not an expert but my concern with dogs watching television is their “flicker rate”. Is much different then humans If there are any vets maybe he or she could go into it further. We see a continuous picture. For dogs it’s like watching a strobe light. I would think this would be harmful. Again this is a vet question. I have done some reading on subject and didn’t even know it was a thing.
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I remember hearing something along those lines, too, @bmacwatt , years ago. But the reality of what dogs do when watching the TV screen makes me think they’re seeing things quite clearly. I had a ridgeback years ago (when TVs were big and boxy) who would walk to the side of the TV and then behind if an animal on screen was walking that way. I regularly have clients’ dogs who bark at animals on TV, even with the sound off — they observe the screen and then react specifically when an animal shows up on screen.
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That is amazing, @virginiad about the Ridgeback. Animals are curious and this must be flabbergasting!
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Thank you both for your replies, Bruce and Virginia. I have done some research on dog sites and some vet sites, after you mentioned this being concerning, Bruce. But nothing to that effect came up…in fact, a lot of sites say simply that it is harmless and that it is not a substitute for human interaction, socialization or exercise. I feel that way about TV with us humans, as well, so that makes tons of sense to me.
With Daisy, she is super inquisitive, social and active, so this 2 weeks of recovery from her surgery (as a 6-month old English cream retriever puppy), has been hard on her with all the restrictions and cone wearing. We did desensitization to the cone a week before the surgery, but she still didn’t like it and chewed them! Even with the vet office fitting her for one! She also had a couple baby teeth pulled because they hadn’t fallen out although the adult teeth were in…that was the vet’s decision. She also developed a bladder infection 7 days after…poor dog!
In this particular case, seeing her calmly lying in front of the TV watching the Olympics is nice to see a settled Down position in this adolescent dog. We’ve been working on settled behaviors and some mat work, so this is positively reinforcing that behavior without treats. She’s not barking at anything.
I did have a cattle dog client years ago who was super reactive to the TV. In that case, much more cause for alarm about the TV as a trigger.
Just wanted to share a cute moment in a photo the owner shared with me. I think she was relieved to have something calming for Daisy with all the activity restrictions. She deserves that, too.
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I can think of worse things for a dog to do while recovering!
Glad they found a solution for her. I hope the recovery goes well.
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Thanks for researching that Paula. I did find this from Alexandria Horowitz. It doesn’t say whether it’s good or bad but I found it interesting………”Watching video that refreshes at 30 or 25 frames per second will pass for stable reality for us—but not for a dog. As dog expert Alexandra Horowitz says, “Dogs have a higher flicker-fusion rate than humans do: seventy or even eighty cycles per second. This provides an indication why dogs have not taken up a particular foible of persons: our constant gawking at the television screen,” which is not fast enough for dog vision. “They see the individual frames and the dark space between them too, as though stroboscopically. This—and the lack of concurrent odors wafting out of the television to engage them. It doesn’t look real.”
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Thank you for sharing that, @bmacwatt ; that really is fascinating. I’m glad there isn’t that “reality” that we perceive, some of us, more than others! I will look more into this “flicker rate”.
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This is Gunner and his favorite T.V. show is House of Dragon! He gets excited when he hears the intro and anytime a dragon is on the screen his tail is wagging and his head is tilting side to side. It’s adorable to watch!
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What a darling meatball, @AlexisLee !
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Thank you! ????
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Hey @AlexisLee If you can get a short video sometime, we’d love to see Gunner and the Dragons! (Kind of sounds like an alternative rock band name…????)
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OMD, @AlexisLee ! Such a beautiful boy! Thank you for sharing his TV watching habits. Dragons! Awesome…
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Thank you! He certainly enjoys watching his dragons! I think Caraxes is his favorite due to the unique vocalizations he makes.
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This made me snort. haha – omd. ????
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YouTube has “Dog TV” channels, and I’ve put it on for dogs I’ve been dog-sitting before. Some channels are calming, with scenery and calm music and dogs walking on beaches in slow motion. Others show squirrels and birds and can make you panic that the viewing dog will jump at the TV screen. ????
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So cool that you have put the Dog TV on for dogs in your care. Hope they enjoy it while their people are away. I think it’s pretty neat that some dogs watch TV. Like I said before, mine never did.
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I was FINALLY able to catch Gunner’s TV/screen watching habits on camera and how funny is it that it’s actually CATCH material that he’s watching ????
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@AlexisLee ohhhh, he’s adorgable!!! Yes, he’s completely fascinated with @david !!! What a great student! I think it’s a super cute behavior, watching TV, and he doesn’t even bark at Hazel.
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Oh, I remember that David video! I was just as interested as Gunner was ????
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Ha ha! ????
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Caber LOVES watching TV. I’ll put on some calm videos of horses, sheep or cows grazing for him to watch when I’m getting ready for bed. I used to play bird and squirrel videos for him, but he’s fully convinced they’re in his house and need to be barked at or nose booped.
Years ago, we had a malamute/GSD mix named Ivy who loved TV, too. She particularly liked watching anything with monsters particularly The Predator. I used to play Shaun the Sheep videos for her when I got ready for bed ????
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What an interesting idea using calming video before bedtime. Thanks for sharing, @PerpetualCleric !
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This cracks me up – what a fun routine. Lucky Caber!
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I ???? that he can choose to bark or nose boop! That must be adorable. Thank you for sharing such a cute picture, @PerpetualCleric !
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I have a few more darling photos to share of Daisy. The owner gave me permission to use these photos.
At the beginning of November, I was hired to sing two operatic and Broadway concerts out in Washington DC. This was our third year doing a concert, but the first time we did two! Also, it was live-streamed, so I invited my clients to tune in, of possible.
Well, Daisy’s owner loves classical singing and plays piano herself, so she was excited to tell me she would virtually attend BOTH! Afterwards, she texted me photos of Daisy watching both concerts attentively! I guess after the first one, she was exhausted and even fell asleep, not during (LOL) but afterwards. Apparently, she recognized me, even though I was dressed in full dress/gown both times.
This is totally positive reinforcement for the trainer. It made my whole month to know she enjoyed the concerts.
You’ll also see the supertitles in the background. One of the photos I am singing in Italian, from the opera “La Gioconda” and I am asking if he called me…I imagine this is exactly how dogs feel when we practice recall training with them, LOL!
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This is fantastic, @bernerlabreclectus — what a great story! ????
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Ha! I can’t believe it myself, @virginiad . Oh so cute!
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Awww…so sweet!
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OMD – the HEAD TILT! She totally has her eyes on you, Paula. This is just wonderful. @bernerlabreclectus
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Ha! Yes, Catherine. We have a special bond, for sure. They just want to keep learning weekly private lessons, plus they are doing group training classes at a nearby R+ facility. ????. Love them both.
Yes, apparently Daisy got so excited to see me on the laptop screen. She is such a sweetie! Definitely one of my fave puppies.
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Thanks for sharing this unique story!
What an amazing connection you have with the human client and Daisy; it is clearly shown here!
Positive reinforcement for sure- rewarding and pure!
Keep doing great things! (and posting!) ????
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