Letting dogs watch TV for a while might help relieve their boredom

Leaving dogs alone for long periods and rarely interacting with them can have a great impact on their mental state. Long-term lack of communication with the owner can make dogs more and more withdrawn, and they may become very anxious when seeing strangers. Some dogs may even develop depression. Busy owners should suitably find some entertainment options for their dogs to prevent them from feeling too lonely and having a negative impact on their psyche.

Some owners abroad relieve their dogs’ boredom by letting them watch TV. Programs on the "Dog Channel" are simple, such as showing footage of puppies playing with balls to excite the dogs, or showing puppies sleeping to calm them down. Some programs are filmed from a puppy’s perspective, capturing scenery outside the car window.

Gerard Neumann, CEO of the channel, said in an interview with ABC: "If you have to leave your pet dog alone at home every day and feel bad about it, wanting to do something to improve your dog's quality of life, this is a particularly good opportunity."

He said: "Dogs that are alone at home for more than a few hours every day are prone to loneliness, boredom, stress, and behavioral problems. Watching appropriate TV programs can make them comfortable, relaxed, and sometimes excited... Fundamentally, it’s a bit like watching TV to relieve boredom when you’re home alone."

Cornell University animal behavior professor Katherine Houpt seems skeptical about the channel. She says that the key to dogs watching TV is not the content but the sound.

"People have tried placing TVs in dog kennels to observe dogs' reactions, but they seemed uninterested in the TV," Houpt said. "This (Dog Channel) is a good idea, but I don't think it will succeed."

You can also let dogs listen to the radio

She said: "From my research, cats are more interested in TV programs... dogs are mainly interested in sounds. But more importantly, dogs don't want to sit in front of a TV all day watching when you’re not home. What they mostly do during the day when you’re away is sleep."

Houpt said dogs that are often left home alone do feel lonely, and some develop "separation anxiety," destroying items in the home. To solve this, owners can play soothing music and close the curtains when leaving home to help dogs feel safe.

Neumann admits the producers of the TV programs do not expect dogs to sit obediently in front of the TV watching the "Dog Channel." "We don’t want to make dogs into human-like ‘couch potatoes,’ nor do we expect them to watch TV for eight hours straight," he said. "The music plays a very important role... dogs still do what they usually do: sleeping one moment, walking the next." The background sounds from the TV just make them feel less lonely.

Indeed, certain sounds can make dogs feel less lonely. So if owners worry about their dogs being lonely at home, they can turn on a small radio to play some programs or turn on the TV to play shows. When they come back, they should still take some time to play with their dogs, as the owner’s care is what matters most to the dogs.