Then, a few weeks ago, my niece, Lauren, sent me a photo of her 8-month-old old Lab, Addie, in front of the TV. Sunny, her 5-year-old Lab, hasn’t shown much interest, but the pup does. The image started a conversation about what dogs see and don’t see on TV and prompted me to take another look into the research. You can thank Addie for this column.
Turns out that if you stumble upon your dog sacked out on the sofa intently viewing a TV show or commercial there’s no need to do a double take or rub your eyes for a clearer vision.
Cherice Roth, chief veterinary officer with the pet health care company Fuzzy, told rd.com, “Some dogs do watch TV! Much like with humans, [a dog’s interest will vary] based on their attention span and attention to motion.
“Dogs can also react to sounds on the TV — especially anything that sounds like their favorite squeaky dog toy — and may be fixated on that as much as the action on the screen.”
Lauren and husband Dan first noticed Addie paying attention to the TV around 4 months of age. Avid hikers, they were watching the National Parks series on NATGEO and saw their pup was also watching and listening intently to the bears and wolves.
The yellow Lab enjoys all types of animal noises on the TV as well as the dragons in the HBO series “House of Dragons.” Lauren explained, “The more action-packed the TV show, the more Addie likes it.”
Sunny, the pup’s older sister, will lie down beside her as she watches but is hardly engrossed. Explained Lauren, “Sunny acts annoyed with ruckus and noise.”
As for TV and its impact on dogs, Albert Ahn, a veterinary adviser with Myos Pet, told rd.com it can be useful in reducing mild separation anxiety: “Many owners leave the television on to provide their dogs with a distraction while they leave for work or run errands.”
The doctor also cautioned that the TV should never be used as a replacement for owner-pet interaction. “Dogs are social and they need interactions with their pet parents, as well as appropriate amounts of daily exercise.”
Addie and Sunny accompany their parents on many of their weekend hikes. Addie now contributes to the preparations by previewing possible hiking adventures on TV.
FOLLOW ONLINE
Online: To watch Addie enjoying a TV show or to download the latest Teddy the Lab coloring page, check out the Facebook page Teddy the Lab.
Karin Spicer is a member of The Dog Writers Association of America. She lives with her family and two furry pets who inspire her. She can be reached at spicerkarin@gmail.com.
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