…what would you put on for him?
The majority of my life I have as convinced that dogs couldn’t see TV’s. Now I have one that no only watches but reacts - shakes pillows at things he doesn’t like, growls, barks, and dances at creatures he’s trying to protect me from, etc.
He’ll lay his head on a pillow and just watch dramas…any suggestions for things he might like but not attack?
We had two dogs previously that could not see the TV, or mirrors. They totally had no reaction nor interaction , like the TV show or mirror didn’t exist in front of them, even if we positioned them right in front of either.
Our new dog will actively watch dramas with us, or nature shows. We also catch her stopping in front of the full length mirror and staring at herself.
Since she seems to understand it’s people on screen, my wife laughs at me when I cover the dogs eyes if its going to be a violent scene. Since she’s a rescue, with some issus, I figure its on t good for her to see people attacking others.
My dogs never watched. But both of them enjoyed Bob Ross a good bit, and were chill with music videos.
I can understand Bob Ross because he’s always got that sweet tone in his voice the dog would hear as
“Yes, you’re being a good boy, aren’t you? So am I. We’re both good boys and I’m painting a nice place for you to run around in. How about I put in a tree for you? You could pee on it and dig under the roots. Here’s a nice big tree, and here’s another to be its friend. You and I are friends too, yes we are.”
Come to think of it, that’s a big part of why I like watching Bob Ross too.
Yeah, he’s got that magic voice and laid back vibe. It’s a very rare critter that can’t enjoy it
Dogs couldn’t see the old style CRT TVs. But they can see modern LED TVs.
We usually put on something like a kids movie or a sitcom. I avoid action shows or anything with loud noises or explosions.
Someone already mentioned it, but Bluey seems to work. We also put on shows like the Golden Girls or Family Matters, because it is good wholesome family entertainment, and she’s family.
My dog has watched parts of Planet Earth
Scooby Doo
Honestly, I think your dog’s behavior and reactions would be highly individualized. In other words, you would probably need to do some exposure and experimentation to find materials that are “just right” for him. Having said that, if he’s calm watching dramas, then couldn’t you just stick to dramas? Also, if you play the same specific materials often enough, even ones he reacts to, you may find that he becomes less reactive to it over time. But again, it’s hard to say as each dog is going to be different.
Decades ago, when most TV watching was on CRT, I heard stories of different cats and dogs “watching” TV but I personally never witnessed it. Basically, it seemed like the animals had performance anxiety and would not watch TV if anybody except the owner was around. So, honestly, I was always a little suspect. Not to say that I believe no dog ever watched CRT TV, just that it probably wasn’t as common as claimed.
However, with modern LED and LCD TVs with higher refresh rates, it’s much more plausible and in fact, I have witnessed it several times. Not just a fleeting reaction to one thing on the screen or maybe the sound of another animal playing through the speakers, either. It’s more like the dog is somewhat actively engaged with the on screen action, rotating ears and their head, things like that.
Yep, our dog will watch TV dramas in bed with us on a laptop, but if its a nature show and a rabbit walks out of shot she gets up to see if the rabbit is somehow coming out the back or aide of the computer
so far my cats have watched Inuyasha, Bleach, the One Piece 4kids dub, and Ranma 1/2. Considering they seem just as happy watching the TV’s demo reel, I think they just enjoy the lights and colors. It’s some enrichment in their environment though, so I always try to put something on for them if I’m gonna be out of the house for a chunk of time.
My dog likes children’s shows with bright colours. Teletubbies, In the Night Garden, Bluey. My cat likes those bird YouTube videos like “four hours of birds feeding in the back yard”.
I worked for a cable tv company and there was a channel for dogs which had images of open fields and birds, also other dogs playing, there are YouTube channels dedicated to this content, search “tv for dogs”
There is also a paid streaming service called Dog TV has similar along with varied color tones geared towards dog.
Bluey. It’s even colored so your dog can watch it. Or so I’ve heard.
My cat seems to like anime for some reason
I watch dinosaur documentaries with a dog sometimes, she loves those
