My brother sent me an article from the May 2008 issue of Reader's Digest, called "Best In Show" by Steve Burgess. The author talks about dog friendly remote controls (a thing of the future) and dog DVDs (a thing of the present). The article says "the DVDs offer plenty of motion to catch your dog's eye, and music designed to soothe".
So do we all have to take our wall mounted TVs and stand them on the floor like we did when he lived with futons and cinder block bookshelves? I don't think my dog even bothers to look way up there to see the TV and she certainly isn't going to be encouraged to watch TV from the furniture.
Are the owners truly thinking of their dog as a means to provide additional stimulation, or is it a substitute? If you take your dog for a good walk before work and one when you get home (assuming he's locked up for 8-10 hours per day) then he'll most likely sleep as dogs have done for centuries (well the ones that were housebound and not working)
Or, is this just another way for some people to make money and for owners to spend money?
Jazz only pays attention to the TV when dogs are in distress (like the Vet TV shows) - but my mom says her schnauzer, Finnegan, watches TV and I've heard other dogs that are interested and even react to certain TV shows. According to the article, dog expert Stanley Coren says "nose-oriented breeds are less likely to respond to the TV". It would have been good for Jazz if she had paid attention to sounds electronically transmitted because I had hoped the Desensitization CD would have helped cure her noise phobia - but she paid no attention to it - no matter how many decibels I played the fireworks and gun sounds - she had no reaction. But shoot a kid's cap gun in the house and you've got a real reaction.
Is this the next doggie evolution? Or just people novelty?
2 comments:
It does seem kinda silly to me. A gimmick to get us to spend our money. I have seen videos for cats, too, which show birds flitting about. Xena does react to dogs (any animal really) she sees on TV, but the funniest of all is when she recognizes the cartoon dog named "Ladybird" on the Hank Hill show. It doesn't have to bark or anything. She just sees it and runs towards the screen.
Maybe part of the effect that firecrackers and such have is more than the just the noise or pitch, but also the concussion. Maybe the dog can "feel" it as well as hear it. I wonder.
Thanks Jo-Ann - That's really interesting - because I had heard that dogs that do watch TV don't recognize cartoons and it was explained that they can't identify with the movements. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to ask Xena (and get an answer?)
And yes, that's what I wonder too - if it's more the concussion than the noise in regards to the firecracker phobia.
Thanks so much for the comments
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