Would Your Dog Enjoy Dog TV?

Some dog parents swear by Dog TV, saying it keeps their dogs calmer and less destructive. However, it's not for every dog.

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The last time a barking dog came onscreen during family movie night, did your dog perk up? Most of us have seen our dogs respond to something on TV. Maybe they stare intently at the screen for a bit or even jump up and bark. But these days, rather than waiting for the random moment to interest their pup, owners can actively seek out programming designed specifically for dogs. Some swear by it, saying it keeps their dogs calmer and less destructive. However, it’s not for every dog.

The high end of doggy viewing is “Dog TV,” a subscription service offering a library of options—from relaxing to stimulating—available 24/7. A selling point is the adjusted color and sound to suit the dogs perfectly, making it, in theory, more engaging for them. (The color looks a bit “off” to humans, as a result.) Owners can opt to show their dogs anything from a peaceful beach scene where one dog ambles along next to the surf to an active scene where many dogs are running around having a ball together.

Other dog-oriented options on the market include dog DVDs or YouTube, filled with content for dogs. However, many folks note that their dogs enjoy “regular” TV just as much. With higher voices and plenty of motion, kids’ shows seem to be a particular favorite with many dogs. Soccer games, horse races and even fishing shows also have their canine fans!

While it’s great that some dogs can enjoy screen time, there is a reason for caution. Each dog will react differently, and it’s essential to be thoughtful before leaving a dog alone with that TV on. While some owners find that the relaxation scenes on doggy TV calm their anxious dogs, others say much of the content is wildly overstimulating and often frustrating. Remember, if your dog practices barking wildly at dogs onscreen, you might expect more of that behavior in real life.

One of the best uses for dog TV can be to get your dog used to otherwise foreign sights and sounds—at a nice, non-threatening volume and distance. For example, if you’ve got a puppy but can’t get out and about to socialize him or her properly at the moment, you can carefully expose the pup to new things (the big city! a firetruck! a chicken!) in the comfort of your own home. Add treats to cement the positive feeling.

If you want to check out doggy TV, here’s the best approach: Sit with your dog as you watch together. Start with the relaxing scenes that show a dog from far away, and perhaps a bird, while lovely spa-like music plays. Does it seem to engage your pup without adding stress and intensity? Then that may be a great thing to add to your life together.

Featured Image: damedeeso/Getty Images

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Kathy Callahan’s new book, Welcoming Your Puppy from Planet Dog, is now available for pre-order wherever you buy your books. Certified as a dog trainer (CPDT-KA) and a family dog mediator (FDM), Callahan specializes in puppies. She and her family have fostered 225 of them in the past decade, and her business, PupStart, is focused on puppyhood coaching. The podcast Pick of the Litter is Kathy’s newest effort to help people and their dogs live more happily together. Kathy lives in Alexandria, VA, with her husband Tom. They’re technically empty-nesters now since their grown daughters have moved on, but the house is still very active thanks to the four family members who were foster-fails: Mojo the German Shepherd/Akita, George the Great Pyrenees/German Shepherd, Kreacher the chow/beagle, and Mr. Bojangles, the best cat in the world.

5 COMMENTS

  1. Our Elfie is very canny about distinguishing sounds etc, and now she’s worked out the difference between recorded sounds on TV and real ones, she seldom reacts. At first (she was a rescue dog at age about 7) we had the impression TV was unfamiliar to her, and dog sounds and images used to catch her attention; I particularly remember a programme about a dog which had puppies and the vocalising of the pups made her very agitated and curious, so she was hunting around behind the screen to find them! Now, though, I doubt she would react, once she’s established it’s just from the TV she takes no notice.

  2. I subscribed to DogTV for a little while since my dog is very dog-social and had reacted positively to seeing dogs on regular tv. But it quickly became obvious that the stimulating sequences were stressful for him — he would actively turn away from the television and lie down, ears back. So I canceled. Disappointing since *I* loved the idea!