[3MiniPoodles]

My toy poodle, Pumpkin, has learned how to turn on our TV. I have not taught her how to do this. She has just figured it out on her own, another example of how smart poodles are.
While this may seem cute, it is actually quite annoying. She turns it on whenever she wants to and loves watching TV. Is it normal for dogs to enjoy watching TV? And is there any way to get her to stop turning on the TV?
Thanks

 

[Click-N-Treat]

Depends, is she pushing the button on the TV or is she pushing a button on the remote? If it's the remote, a high shelf. If it's the button practice "leave it" and don't let the dog stay alone in the room with the tv.

 

[3MiniPoodles]

Do you know if it is normal for dogs to watch TV and how long should she watch per day? Thanks!

 

[cowpony]

Mine have never shown much interest in TV unless the soundtrack features noises like ringing doorbells or barking dogs. I can't imagine them ever bothering to learn how to turn it on.
I personally wouldnt worry about screen time unless you see it triggering other behavior issues (like barking.) Or if she figures out how to launch pay per view. At least TV watching is pretty harmless compared to, say, unraveling your sweaters or all the other mischief a bright bored dog can invent.

 

[Dechi]

Do you know if it is normal for dogs to watch TV and how long should she watch per day? Thanks!

Watching tv is okay but I wouldn’t let her play video games.

 

[Dianaleez]

Unplug the TV.

 

[3MiniPoodles]

Lol I wouldn´t worry about that! Pumpkin is smart, but not that smart...

 

[For Want of Poodle]

Any chance you can get a power bar with an off button? Flip the switch instead of using the remote. I suspect a few weeks of trying and failing to turn it on will solve the issue.

As for watching, I havent had a TV on in weeks, but when we do have it on, Annie likes to watch, especially horses. She also sometimes watches when I have a conference call and someone is sharing video of themselves.

 

[Porkchop]

Dogs don’t exactly see the same images we humans do. This is from thebark.com

“Old style American televisions that work from tube technology have a frame rate of 60Hz, meaning that the frame refreshes sixty times per second. Newer television, models known as HDTV, refresh at a much faster rate. Many images on the television screen appear stationary to humans, as their rate of vision is slower than that of the television. At about 50Hz, images would appear, to the human, to look like images from a flipbook. Dogs, on the other hand, get the flipbook imaging up to 75Hz, so the images have to have a higher refresh rate to appear fluid to a dog.

To dogs, the older televisions reflect images that they perceive as simple flickers of movement or light, however, the newer televisions present more fluidity and make images appear more realistic to the canine eye’s abilities.”

I always have the tv on quietly in the background but my dog’s attention is rarely captured by it. When it does it’s usually a close up of a human’s face.

 

[Skylar]

I think the size of the larger screen play a role in aiding a dog in viewing tv.

Mine watches TV regularly. She’s drawn to watching most animals...cats, dogs and horses are her favorite. Normally she just passively watches: she reacts to aggressive animal behavior. She ignores non-animal content.

Her favorite movie is the Secret Life of Pets. i Have to fast forward through the aggressive section. Cartoons that capture the essence of animal movement are popular with my minipoo

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Peggy loooooooves old Technicolor westerns. And not just the parts with horses.

I suspect her doggy eyes and brain are seeing something cool that I'm not privy to.

 

[3MiniPoodles]

Peggy loooooooves old Technicolor westerns. And not just the parts with horses.

I suspect her doggy eyes and brain are seeing something cool that I'm not privy to.

Okay, Pumpkin likes watching sports, especially soccer. If I change the channel to something she doesn´t like, she will nudge me and whine. I suspect she likes watching soccer because of the ball, but my other 2 minis don´t seem intrigued by television.

 

[FloofyPoodle]

Fluffy enjoys cooking shows. And anything with another animal on the screen. But you know what he hates? Commercials with doorbell sounds. He’ll go off barking towards the door.

 

[Skylar]

Fluffy enjoys cooking shows. And anything with another animal on the screen. But you know what he hates? Commercials with doorbell sounds. He’ll go off barking towards the door.

Responding to doorbell sounds on commercials probably will extinguish itself because after a while Fluffy will realize nothing happens. Babykins doesn't bark, but she used to run to the front door at the sound of the doorbell on TV.... after a few months she ignores them. I never went to the door with her - unlike a real door bell which does require me to go. She has learned to watch my behavior and not trust the sound.

 

[cowpony]

I tried having Galen on a video conference today. He was mostly uninterested; he just sat on my office chair in front of the camera and ignored the faces on the screen. Perhaps he would have found it more interesting if he'd had his own headset, lol.

 

[Click-N-Treat]

I paused a tv show I was watching. A man on the screen was making an angry, aggressive face. Noelle looked at the TV screen and went absolutely ballistic. Growling, snarling, barking, like he was on his way in the room. I laughed until I hurt something. And the more I laughed, the more aggressive she got. I unpaused the screen, and she sniffed the TV, and went back to her bone. I was still laughing, though.

 

[cowpony]

I paused a tv show I was watching. A man on the screen was making an angry, aggressive face. Noelle looked at the TV screen and went absolutely ballistic. Growling, snarling, barking, like he was on his way in the room. I laughed until I hurt something. And the more I laughed, the more aggressive she got. I unpaused the screen, and she sniffed the TV, and went back to her bone. I was still laughing, though.

Wow!