Dogs most like to watch videos of…other dogs. So say the results of a detailed questionnaire answered by more than 1,200 people with canine pets. Second in interest to dog videos are videos of other animals, including wild animals (as in nature documentaries), cats, livestock, and squirrels. (Videos of people are way down on the list.) Reactions to what’s on the screen include dogs turning their head to the side or pricking their ears, vocalizing, approaching the screen and/or running away from it, looking behind it, and bringing toys over. The responses were collected by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
Cartoons and similar animation (especially if they contain cartoon animals) also appear to be something of a hit. The investigators theorize dogs may be attracted by the bright hues and color contrast of cartoons, along with their rapid and exaggerated movements. Certain sports played with balls, including soccer and basketball, proved to be up there, too, as were moving vehicles.
Dogs most “glued” to the set
Dogs from the herding and sporting groups—like border collies, Labs, and retrievers—appeared more interested in what was on screen than dogs from other breed groups. It may be because dogs that herd and retrieve objects are bred to perform tasks that require vision, whereas, say, a scent hound, might be more engaged by odors, the scientists say.
Young dogs—those just a year old as well as pets not too far into adulthood—also hung around the TV screen more than older ones, and enjoyed a wider array of programming. The investigators speculate that perhaps the novelty of television watching wears off as dogs mature. Some earlier research suggests that dogs become habituated to television after just a short time.
It could also be, they say, that dogs’ visual acuity lessens with age, making TV watching less interesting. Indeed, people who thought their dogs had only “fair” or “poor” vision found their pets much less likely to watch TV than those who perceived their dogs as having “excellent” or “good” vision. (How and what dogs respond to on TV could someday be used to develop canine eye exams. They can’t, after all, name the letters on a human eye chart.)
Before you press “Play”
While most of the dogs in this study reacted to what they saw on the screen, their people self-selected for filling out the questionnaire. Plenty of dogs are not interested in screen time. Dog parents need to feel out whether their dogs enjoy having canine-centric videos on, and for how long. Some dogs may enjoy watching for only a few minutes.
People should also assess whether watching videos or television shows causes their dog anxiety rather than pleasure. Some of the dogs reacted to what they saw on the screen with what the researchers call “anxious-type behaviors.” That is, not all dogs find screen time to be delightful entertainment.
Finally, the researchers suggest that dogs who have frequent interactions with their own human family members as well as with other friendly people, other animals, and lots of training, walks, and play may be less inclined to find television interesting.
