Usually I get excited about new things and especially those new things that involve pampering our pets, but I am not really sure on this one. DOGTV is a new channel being offered by DIRECTV and Roku. You pay $9.99 a month and you get 24 hour access to TV programmed just for your dog.
The programming is broken into 3 different sections. Relaxation, stimulation and exposure. I watched samples of all 3 and this is what I saw or heard.
Relaxation: Great HD video of tropical scenery, plants, dogs laying on the beach or sleeping on the couch with calming music. Added to that is other sounds.; Dogs panting and whining a little and baby sounds (soft not crying). For most dogs this would be just fine and probably not an issue.
Stimulations: The video I saw was of a Beagle and Pekinese running and playing. Again just like the relaxation video, it featured great photography with special colors that dogs can supposable see better. The music was a little more upbeat with added sounds of breathing dogs, water drinking, squeaky toys, kids laughing, soft knocking on a door, ducks and someone making a kissing sound. As much as this sounds harmless to stimulate the dog, this may not be a healthy form of stimulation for your dog.
Exposure: The last video section I watched and listened to had everyday things. Street video with sounds of traffic and sirens, a brief shot of lightning and thunder sound, some sounds of children or babies, along with a doorbell. For a young dog that you are trying to desensitize to sounds, this may be great, but for any dog that is excited by the door bell or thunder, probably not a good idea.
For anyone who has a dog that gets excited when hearing or seeing other dogs, this is NOT for them. For those anxious dogs – I would be super careful with leaving them unsupervised with this programming until I had tested it first.
I was impressed with was the quality of the photography and the music, but I am concerned that DOG TV might stimulate your dog the wrong way. Sure a dog that was excited all day from the noises he or she does or does not like might be worn out when you got home, but this would not always be a good thing.
My advice to everyone is to hire a dog walker to come in and give your dog stimulation and exposure to life when you cannot be there yourself. Leave public radio on for the calming times.
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