Did you know that in Germany there is a television channel for dogs? Not about dogs, for dogs. It's called DogTV and on the day it was launched, the network estimated that some seven million dogs were likely to watch the programming they had designed.
According to Nicholas Dodman, professor of veterinary medicine at Tufts University (USA), the goal of the chain was to alleviate the boredom that pets can feel when they are alone at home.
Although perhaps we should first answer another question Can dogs watch TV? Don't worry, on our site we give you all the answers in this article about canine curiosities.
Image from mysmelly.com
Can dogs watch TV?
Well I can't give you an answer other than yes and no: Dogs and cats have eyes that are different from ours, they are more accurate. They capture movement better than the human eye. This difference is what nuance entails when we talk about television.
Television is images that follow each other at a very high speed. That speed is what fools our vision and makes it appear that we see movement. For humans to perceive that sensation of movement, the images must go at a speed of 40 hz (images per second). Instead, animals need succession speed to be at least 75hz.
A normal modern television reaches about 300hz (there are those that reach 1000hz), but the old tube televisions used to go to 50hz. Can you imagine how boring it must be for your pet to watch TV and see a slow succession of images? It's normal that they didn't pay attention to them.
Another factor that influences whether dogs watch television is the height at which it is placed. The televisions are always positioned so that they are at eye level while sitting. It would be terribly uncomfortable for your pet to have to look up all day.
Have you ever been in the front row of a movie theater? If the answer is yes, you know what I'm talking about.
Also, it is logical that they are not interested because programming is not designed for them When only people go out, not only does it not attract them If not, it bores them. In fact, many owners say that their pets do react to seeing a dog on the screen, but they do not pay attention to a drawing or a static image of a dog. They are able to perceive the difference. Can you imagine your dog saying, “There's nothing on TV today!”?
Image from nbcnewyork.com
What would an ideal TV for dogs look like
Should have the following characteristics:
- Have more than 75hz
- Be positioned at dog's eye level
- Broadcast programs that show other dogs or other animals, cats, birds, sheep…
According to those responsible for the DogTv chain, dogs can not only entertain themselves by watching television, but can bring them benefits. They have three types of content: relaxers, stimulants and behavior reinforcers.
The string maintains that a dog will see reduced separation anxiety when viewing soothing content. Stimulants serve to encourage and develop the pet's mind. Finally, there are reinforcers.
Those responsible for DogTv give the following example: a dog who sees others running after a ball on television will see his own learning underpinned in the game with the ball.
Image from maniacmagazine.com
Myths about dog vision
- Dogs see in black and white: Lie They do appreciate colors, but not as many shades as humans. In fact, they are able to recognize the color blue, yellow and variants of gray. The colors green, red and orange are perceived as shades of yellow.
- Dogs see in the dark: True. Not only can your pupil dilate much more to absorb more light, rather it has a special cell patina to improve your vision at night. This layer is located at the bottom of the retina, it is also the cause that the eyes of dogs glow in the dark when they are illuminated.
- To finish, another curiosity. The visual field of dogs is different. Objects less than a foot from your face are blurred. Therefore, they need to sniff everything. Of course, his peripheral vision is much better.
