Ever wondered if your dog really watches TV? A new study finds that many do, and how they respond depends not just on what’s on screen, but on their personality, from excitement levels to fearfulness.
The lower refresh rates in older TVs caused a flickering effect, making it difficult for dogs, who are more sensitive to flicker than we are, to perceive a clear image. Modern TVs, however, have high-definition screens, higher frame rates, and specialized color palettes, making it much easier for our canine companions to check out what’s on the box – or panel.
A new study by researchers from Auburn University in the US wanted to gain a greater understanding of how dogs interact with TV, what types of images and sounds attract their attention, and how individual traits like temperament can influence these behaviors.
“As companion animals, dogs are exposed to many forms of artificial environmental stimuli that would not be encountered in the wild,” said the researchers. “Of note, televisions provide 2D images of naturalistic stimuli that on both an auditory and visual level can be characterized as lifelike. Because companion dogs are regularly exposed to televisions, it is pertinent to understand how dogs behaviorally respond to and interpret these types of stimuli from a welfare perspective.”
When referring to dogs, a ”welfare intervention” is an action designed to improve the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of the animal. That would include, as is being explored here, an owner leaving the television on for their dog or dogs when they leave the house as a means of engaging and/or distracting them.
The first step the researchers took was to develop a new tool called the Dog Television Viewing Scale (DTVS), which consists of 16 questions measuring dogs’ visual and auditory responses to various TV stimuli, including dogs, humans, inanimate objects, and sounds. Then, they distributed an online survey to collect data on 650 dogs, of which 453 that had watched TV were included in the final analysis. In addition to data collected from the DTVS, the researchers collected demographics, including age, sex, breed, and neuter status, and a temperament assessment using two validated tools: PANAS, which measures traits such as excitement and fear, and DIAS, which measures impulsivity.
The researchers observed that dogs respond to TV, but not equally to all stimuli. Three main behavioral dimensions emerged:
- DTVS Animal: responses to animal stimuli, such as dogs, other pets, and wildlife.
- DTVS Follow: behaviors where the dog physically followed an object off the screen, suggesting that the dog expected the object to continue existing beyond the screen, as if in the real world.
- DTVS Non-Animal: responses to humans and inanimate objects like cars and doorbells.
The dogs’ responses were based more on what they saw or heard (animal vs. non-animal) rather than how they experienced it (vision vs. hearing). Dogs that were more excitable were more likely to exhibit follow behaviors such as tracking an object off-screen. Dogs with higher negative reactivity – fearfulness, for example – responded more to non-animal stimuli like cars and doorbells. Age, sex, neuter status, breed group, and impulsivity showed no significant effect on how dogs interacted with television content. Prior exposure to TV did not significantly influence the dogs’ responses.
“This study informs towards the use of television as a welfare intervention, as well as dogs’ perceptual evaluations of artificial visual and auditory stimuli,” the researchers said. “Overall, this study indicates that companion dogs experience a meaningful, object-filled world when they view television.”
There are some limitations to the study. Most participants had dogs that already responded to TV; owners of dogs who didn’t watch TV were encouraged to respond but were underrepresented. Also, the accuracy of behavior interpretation depended on what the dog’s owner reported, not direct observation, and information on the size or type of screen viewed (LED or OLED, for example) was gathered, but wasn’t statistically analyzed. Finally, the study didn’t account for the type or quality of programs shown to the dogs.
For many dog owners, though, the study offers practical guidance. For one thing, it confirms that dogs do engage meaningfully with TV, especially when animals are shown. Second, from a real-world perspective, if a dog is highly excitable or reactive, certain programming might overstimulate or stress them. Tailored TV programming could be used as an enrichment tool, especially for specific temperament types, particularly because the dogs’ responses varied based on personality traits. This type of programming could be beneficial in animal shelters.
The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
