Do Dogs Watch Television?

We’ve all seen photos of dogs standing up on their back legs to press their noses into the TV screen. We may even have taken some of those pictures ourselves (and if you have, feel free to post them on this site). But do dogs really watch television?

According to a survey conducted by the American Kennel Club, half of all dog owners report that their pooch showed some interest in what was on the box. However, does lying placidly by your feet while you’re enjoying CSI really equate to watching TV. Surely the dog is there more to be close to you than out of any interest in crime-fighting. Surely even the appearance of that well-known canine criminologist Inspector Rex wouldn’t generate anything more than a cursory glance at the screen.

Well, apparently, it can depend on the type of dog you have.

Although it’s a myth that dogs only see in black and white (in fact, it’s only the colour red they have trouble with), they can see flickering light better than people. So while you see a continuous scene when watching the telly, your dog may be watching individual frames, rather like a fast-moving slideshow.

Also, until ‘smellovision’ is created, a dog’s most important sense – smell – isn’t affected by the TV, so even if something he sees or hears catches his attention, it’s unlikely to hold it because other, more important senses aren’t engaged.

The eyes have it

However, it’s undeniable that some dogs are more responsive to television than others. In an episode of the ABC’s science program, Catalyst, neurologist Dr Alison Harman reported that her Pug, Bertie, ‘watches television quite often. He likes horse programs and animal programs. I had another Pug who would also watch television. If, for instance, another animal crossed the screen when he was watching it he would jump down and rush to look at the back of the television to see if it was coming out at the back.’

Intrigued by this, Dr Harmon joined forces with animal behaviourist Dr Paul McGreevy and realised that, contrary to what the experts had long thought, different breeds of dogs have differently shaped eyes, with the shape of the retina particularly important. So while some dogs have retinas with visual streaks, meaning they can see extremely well all the way round, others (Pugs, for example) don’t, so their eyesight is much more like a human’s.

This not only means all dogs do not view life in the same way, but it may also explain why some dogs love to chase things while others like nothing more than sitting peaceably in your lap.

•    Does your dog seem to watch TV? Tell us about it below…

Images by: dhammza and World Muse