Can dogs watch TV and understand what they see?
Dogs absolutely can not only watch TV, but also seem to enjoy watching it. Especially those scenes that have other animals, sounds of animals and other sounds that are recognizable to them, including words, dogs seem to enjoy watching and responding to what they see; however, what dogs see on the TV are very different from what we see as humans. These differences come down to what colors dogs see.
“Different dogs, like people, have different personalities,” Dodman told National Geographic. “Some are territorial, some are not. Some like people, some hate people. Some are predatory, some aren’t. Some are pushy, some are shy. It takes all types of dogs to make the world go round.”
When dogs watch TV, what do they see?
A 2013 study published in the journal Animal Cognition found that dogs could visually identify images of other dogs and other animals if they have familiarity to them among pictures of humans, especially other dogs. They are also able to recognize familiar sounds such as barking or howling coming from the TV.
Dogs' eyes are very different from human eyes, so they see things on TV differently. Their vision isn’t as sharp as ours with theirs closer to 20/75 than 20/20, which may explain why they sit closer to the TV than we do as it helps keep the images sharp.
However, the dog’s unique vision means that although they can recognize images on the TV, they see them a bit differently than we do. When dogs watch TV, they can perceive only colors on the yellow and blue spectrum. While humans can see the full range of colors, dogs can only see yellow, blue, brown or gray since they have dichromatic vision.
But why not all dogs watch TV
In short, personality makes all the difference. The differences caused by their vision aside, whether or not dogs watch TV and react to its contents depends largely on their individual personalities.
The dog’s breed may also play a role in how dogs react to watching TV.
Breeds that belong to the Hounds group are scent-driven and hence, are less likely to care above moving pictures on the TV. Herding dogs, however, are more likely to show interest in the action on the set because they are bred to watch for subtle movements. It is in their DNA.
Additionally, just like us dogs get varying enjoyment and pleasure out of the TV.
Largely due to the breed a particular dog belongs to, some dogs may be more easily moved by the images on the screen, while others are a little more perceptive in knowing that what they see is not real.
No matter what kind of programming you leave for your dogs to see on the TV, research shows that television eventually fades into the background for most dogs. One might argue, it is still better than having the dog bored at home when everyone else is out of the house.
Should you leave the TV on for your dog?
Dogs watching TV has become a “thing” in most parts of the world to the point that there are now channels devoted to dogs and marketing messages that dog TV will calm and relax your dog. Is this true? Thanks to the researches we know that it is very likely dogs prefer to watch TV with their owners as they find this to be another, comfy way of spending time with their favourite humans.; it is also likely that when they’re alone, they would rather prefer to just lay down and sleep in their favourite spot.
Is dogs watching TV harmful?
Dogs watching TV has become a “thing” in most parts of the world and there are even channels especially dog dogs. Do we know whether all of this is really worth the try? Thanks to the research, we may now know if it’s all worth it.
It is more than likely that dogs prefer to watch TV with their favourite humans as they consider this a comfortable and pleasurable opportunity to spend time. It is also very likely that when they’re alone, they would rather lay down in their favourite corner of the house.
However, if you know that your dog likes to watch TV on its own, you won’t be doing any harm by letting the TV run when you are stepping out. If a dog barks or wanders around on the TV, it might break the boredom your dog might have alone at home while waiting for you.
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