Dogs are loyal companions to humans, and it’s no wonder that many of us love spending time on the couch with our pets, enjoying movies. But if your dog could choose what to watch, which shows would it prefer?
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison conducted a study to find out which television programs are most interesting to dogs, and found that shows featuring dogs rank highly (which is quite expected!).
However, before you start worrying about the shows your dog watches, there is good news — many mixed-breed dogs also enjoy football, cartoons, and car shows.
What Dogs Prefer to Watch
In the study, the scientists aimed to determine which video content captures dogs' interest the most. The team surveyed 1,246 dog owners worldwide, including the USA, Canada, the UK, and Australia.
The survey included questions about the types of screens in homes, how dogs react to screens, which content they interact with most often, as well as information about the age, gender, breed of the dogs, and their place of residence.
The results showed that dogs are most active when watching videos with other animals. Unsurprisingly, they prefer their fellow canines — dogs, followed by wild animals, cats, livestock, and horses.
The study also found that “Scooby-Doo” would be a great choice for your pet. 76% of the dogs involved in the study generally loved watching cartoons, while 18% were captivated by video games.
If you are into sports, you will be pleased to know that your dog may share your passion, as many dogs in the study are interested in shows featuring balls! Football and basketball were their main preferences, followed by American football, tennis, and baseball.
It turned out that age and vision play a key role in how dogs interact with screens.
“We know that poor vision negatively affects the quality of life for older people, but the impact of aging and vision changes in dogs remains largely unstudied, as we cannot accurately assess it,” noted Freya Mouat, the lead author of the study. “Like people, dogs are living longer, and we want to ensure we support their health.”
The researchers hope that the findings will help you decide what to watch with your dog this weekend, as well as pave the way for vision testing in dogs.
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