Does Your Dog Watch Television?

By Suzanne Alicie

Have you ever looked at your dog and thought he was watching television? Better yet, have you had music playing and thought for sure that he was listening intently while his tail wagged in time to the beat? Well, you may not be far off base with that thought, but Rover is probably paying attention to the visual and auditory stimulation in a way that is different than the way a human watches TV and listens to music.

Dogs have eyesight that is different from that of humans, so when your dog appears to be watching television, he isn’t exactly seeing the action and the story unfold, but he is seeing the flickering light and hearing the sounds. You’ve probably seen your dog get excited when a dog barks on the television, or whine when there is a high pitched sound. 

Many responsible pet owners who have to leave their dog home alone will leave a television on to provide the dog with “entertainment.” Whether the dog is entertained or not, the television provides the lights and sounds that he is used to when his owners are at home. This may keep the dog from becoming anxious or acting out when he is left alone for a few hours. 

Music doesn’t provide any visual stimulation for your dog, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel the beat or get invigorated by the tempo. Dogs also hear differently than humans and can’t decipher the individual notes and instruments in music. Depending on the pitch, music can also agitate your dog. 

As a dog owner, I have watched my dog while she watches television. While I write she will curl up and watch the TV that I keep on for background noise. Many times she will fall asleep lulled into relaxation by the normal noise and light activity. However, if one of the community warning tests comes on with a high pitched alert sound, she will whine and run under the bed. Some dogs are more sensitive than others and respond more predictably to the sounds of television and music.

Around my house music is not something that our dog enjoys; she doesn’t seem to pay any attention to it other than if there is a high pitched level or a lot of bass. Either of those types of music will send her running. There are some dogs, though, that seem to really enjoy music and react to the beat. Some people actually devote a great deal of time to working with their dogs and music; the sport of Musical Canine Freestyle is quite popular in the United States, Canada, Japan and many other countries.

Each and every dog is unique, and will have his own reaction to visual or auditory stimulation. Play some music or watch television with your dog and see how he reacts. You may be surprised at the sounds and action that get his attention. If you have a dog who gets anxious when you have to leave, consider leaving a television on to provide him with some comforting, everyday sounds and movement that may help him stay calm.

If your dog seems to enjoy watching television, you might want to get him one of the many Pet Sitter DVDs that are available. The Pet Sitter videos are designed to stimulate and entertain pets while the humans are away from home. They have both Cat Sitter DVDs and Dog Sitter DVDs, each with different sights and scenes that play in a continuous loop for all-day entertainment.

Part of being a responsible pet owner is understanding that some things will stimulate, calm, excite or otherwise elicit a response from your pet. This can lead to fun activities if your dog reacts positively to music, or provide a solution to anxiety if the television or music calms and soothes your dog.

Read more articles by Suzanne Alicie

Do DVDs for Cats Really Keep Them Entertained?

By Julia Williams

In the wintertime, my cats stay indoors 24/7. I prefer it that way; it’s safer for them and less costly for me. They don’t engage in cat fights that require surgery, or get foxtail stickers stuck up their nose (trust me, removing one of those nasty quill-like stickers from a cat’s nose is a feat best left to the professionals). When it’s cold outside and the ground is covered with snow, my cats curl up on their faux-fur pad by the heater, and snooze the day away. Although they don’t seem to mind doing nothing all day, I worry about them being bored.

While browsing a pet mail-order catalog one day, I came across PetSitter DVDs – videos designed to stimulate and entertain pets while the humans are away from home. They had both Cat Sitter DVDs and Dog Sitter DVDs, each with a variety of sights and scenes that play in a continuous loop for all-day amusement. I was intrigued, but also skeptical that my cats would be mesmerized by the television no matter what it was playing. They’d never shown much interest in the TV, nor had they ever looked at my computer screen when I tried to get them to watch lolcats videos.

So I did what I always do when I want more information about something – I googled it, and then went to Amazon.com to read the reviews. It turns out there are a lot more DVDs for cats and dogs than just the four volumes I saw in the pet catalog. Hmmm. Perhaps I was on to a good thing, i.e., something that could perk up those Rip Van Winkle-like cat forms I occasionally have to poke to make sure they’re still breathing? With so many pet-sitter DVDs available, I thought they must surely provide a modicum of entertainment for cats and dogs. Then too, all those glowing five-star reviews couldn’t be wrong, could they?

I wanted to order a few books anyway, so I decided to throw in one of these DVDs for my cats. They were reasonably priced (from $9.95 to $19.95) and I'd get free shipping if my order was over $25. I settled on DVD For Cats: While You Are Gone for $12.49. My cats could take a virtual walk in the woods chasing butterflies, birds, ducks, squirrels, mice, fish, kittens and more. Then they could engage in fun games with dancing strings and ribbons. In addition to the enticing imagery, the video included soothing nature sounds and peaceful music.

DVD For Cats: While You Are Gone had 18 five star reviews, a smattering of three and four star reviews, and three reviews each with one and two stars. A common denominator for the bad reviews was that the cats were “bored” and that the video looked homemade. But plenty of people claimed their felines were totally engrossed by this Cat Sitter DVD and highly recommended it. The only real way to know what would happen at my house was to try it.

When the package arrived I raced home, eager to show the kitties their special surprise. I roused their furry comatose forms and plopped them by the TV. As the Cat DVD began to play, they briefly glanced up at the television and promptly fell back to sleep. I turned the sound up and jostled them a bit to try to get them more awake and interested in all the fun they were missing on the screen. Alas, my cats were completely indifferent.

I tried again several times over the space of a month, with near identical results. My cats were just not interested in virtual fluttering butterflies and scampering creatures. In fact, I actually enjoyed this Pet Sitter DVD more than they did! Perhaps my cats are just über-intelligent creatures who know they wouldn’t be able to catch those birds no matter how hard they tried. More likely, they just prefer their sleep-induced dreams, where they can be “master hunter of their domain” for hours on end.

If you want to see whether your cat or dog would be entertained by one of these Pet Sitter DVDs, you might check with your local library first. Many large municipal libraries carry a good selection of DVDs you can borrow for free. If they don’t have them, they can often get them for you through their inter-library loan system. Or, just order one online and give it to your pet for Christmas. Who knows – they might actually love it!

Read more articles by Julia Williams