Dogster Answers › Health & Wellness › Other Health & Wellness

Buster

Just curious-are dogs supposed to see what is actually on TV?

Our shepard mix Buster sees dogs or other animals on TV-barks like crazy at the TV and then when they leave the screen he runs to the window to see where they went. Is this normal? I thought dogs couldn't see specific things like that. Especially on a tv screen


Asked by Buster on Mar 6th 2008 in Other Health & Wellness
 Report this question Get this question's RSS feed Send this question to a friend


Status

  • This question is closed.

Best Answer

Abby K-9

Different dogs react to different things on the TV screen. Some dogs react purely to the sound and then turn their head into the direction it comes from or "answer back" by barking. Some dogs react to the movement on the screen but don't really recognize it as animals or people, they just see movement. And some dogs are actually able to see what's on the screen.

Scientists estimate that only about half of all dogs are actually able to see what is on the screen. The eyes of different breeds of dog are built differently. Some have what is called the visual streak, others have an area centralis where a bunch of vision cells are arranged in one spot rather than spread out in a streak.

Visual streak dogs are great at seeing and following movement, whereas area centralis dogs don't have really good peripheral vision but see more detail than visual streak dogs. Area centralis dogs are more likely to watch TV, as they can make out the details.

Watching TV has nothing to do with intelligence


Abby K-9 answered on Mar 6th.

Other Answers

Answers

Miss Buddie

Buddie pays attention to the TV too, especially if other dogs are on. I had to turn off an episode of The Dog Whisperer because one of the aggressive dogs that Cesar was rehabilitating was making Buddie upset. She was cowering and whining. She's also tried to play with wolf puppies on Animal Planet.

Of course, this is also the dog who will sit in your lap and try to help you win at computer games too. BOL


Miss Buddie answered on 3/6/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Ginger Smiles Primm

Thats a smart dog! Congratulations! My female MinPin LOVES to watch TV Mostly at night when we are in bed. Shes into cartoons the most. (Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park. They come on for like 3 hours here at night.) Our Jack does not care about TV at all. He is smarter than anyone Iv ever known so maybe its too trivial for him.


Ginger Smiles Primm answered on 3/6/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Gray Dawn Treader

Some dogs can. My dad thinks that only really smart dogs can see the TV screen. I don't know, but my uncle's JRT goes crazy when there's dogs on the TV.


Gray Dawn Treader answered on 3/6/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Layla

It's funny how our dogs dont pay any attention to the tv most of the time but when we turn on Animal Planet or something with dogs on it they'll perk up and take notice. Sometimes they'll go to the tv to watch for a minute or two and of course any barking gets them barking too.

The best was when we were watching the AKC dog show recently. No dogs were barking but they still took notice and watched for a little while. I think they picked out their favorites!


Layla answered on 3/6/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Guest

Alex could care less, but Abby notices an animal every time! And even if it isn't other dogs, like birds or something else making their noise, she will just bark! I am glad we aren't the only ones!


Guest 634205 answered on 3/6/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Puck

My Maltese, Bailey, who's gone now, used to go crazy barking at the TV whenever there was an animal on it. No matter what channel, if there was sound or not, he would bark if it was a bird, a dog, a cow, or anything else. He'd bark standing in front of the TV on his hind legs and bark until the animal was gone! He also would bark at Mandy Patinkin (sp?) in that medicine commercial - I don't know what that was about!!!


Puck answered on 3/6/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Kolbe

Check out this article on how dogs see. flamingeagle.spaces.live.com


Kolbe answered on 3/6/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


HERBIE

BOTH OF MY CHIHUAHUA KIDS LOVE TO WATCH TV.

HERBIE LOVES THE MOVIE CARS AND WILL SIT AND WATCH THE WHOLE MOVIE.
HE DOES NOT LIKE SPORTS!!!!
HAYLEE LIKE SPORTS

WHEN WE LEAVE THE HOUSE WE ALWAYS PUT THE TV ON DISNEY CHANNEL FOR THEM. HERBIE LIKES WATCHING HANNAH MONTANA, AND SUITE LIFE


HERBIE answered on 3/6/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Jack

Abby touched on something I find really intersting about dogs when they watch the television.

If a dog comes on, there's just no telling how an individual dog react.

For example, Jack is extremely vocal around other dogs, and he actively watches the television when dog are on (and sometimes when they aren't, too) and he has never made so much as a peep.

He watches very intently and stops what he is doing, especially if the dog is barking. I think that it is interesting since he must realize that the dog is not just in the house above the mantle. He must have some concept that the dog isn't really there, otherwise, he'd be going crazy.

I also think that he can tell what the dog is "saying" by the barking because sometimes he looks quite upset if the dog on television is in distress or upset, too.

It has gotten to the point where I watch Dog Whisperer with the sound off! LOL!


Jack answered on 3/6/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Clay

Clay loves to watch TV and on occasion he will watch for long periods(sometimes an hour or so) Pedro will watcha program that has fast moving animals with or with out sound.But he will only watch for 10-15 minutes. Haus and Jesse have never shown any interest what so ever.Kinda fun to see what each dog does


Clay answered on 3/6/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Zues

my boys watch tv all the time well if its animal planet. they know excatly when its a dog or when its a cat. see when a dog appears bear barks and tries to bite the tv but when a cat comes on he just barks. as for zues he doesn't understand that its a tv or a cam. because when the dogs leave the screen from the side he tries to look behind the tv.


Zues answered on 3/7/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Related Questions

More Questions in This Category