Besides music, TV shows are a great thing to keep your dogs’ nerves stable for a while. The way pups have different reactions to different genres of music, the very same way they also have opinions about TV shows. But no, they don’t exactly watch Netflix to understand the plot twist as we humans do. However, the motions, sound effects, and visuals on the screen attract them enough to have them hooked.
How do dogs see the TV?
Humans do not see the flickering of images on TV since the speed is beyond 55 Hertz (Hz). But having better motion perception, dogs see television as a collection of random flickering pictures. Modern 4K TVs are displayed at a much higher speed which allows the dogs to enjoy TV in a fluid motion. Besides the flickering, pups also have limited color perception. Having dichromatic vision dogs cannot differentiate between colors and can only recognize yellow, blue, and grey.
As a result, television is not as exciting for the canines as it is for us.
Which show causes dogs the most anxiety?
In a recent study, dogs were observed using a fitness tracker after they viewed different kinds of TV shows. The TV shows included Friends, Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Pup Academy, The Witcher, and Rick and Morty. However, Pup Academy wasn’t a success. The dogs were anxiety-ridden as they watched the show.
The tracker revealed the anxiety score had reached 149. Nevertheless, the pups were interested in the show where dogs from all over the world traveled through magical gateway disguised as fire hydrants. One doggie, in particular, felt horribly stressed watching it and the anxiety points read 314. Overall Pup Academy allowed the pups to rest for 34 minutes and the sleep quality was around 84% which meant the amount of sleep they had, wasn’t too bad.
It seems Pup Academy successfully grabs the dogs’ attention because dogs prefer watching themselves on TV. Even dog-friendly commands, barking, and whining can attract a dog to the screen. So naturally, dogs feel connected to the trio of Pup Academy on screen; Spark, Corazon, and Whiz. American sitcom Friends was also stressful for the dogs. The study proved pups are not big fans of adventure drama, be it Stranger Things or The Witcher. The Witcher caused the dogs to be restless and fidgety, with an average rest period of only 27 minutes.
