Talking Tails - 6/13/17

Our mom has asked us if we can see and understand what we are watching. So, we did a little bit of research to address her questions. First of all, yes, we can see the TV! We don’t see the full spectrum of colors as you do, but have a range of two primary colors – yellow and blue – and, of course, we can see the various gradations of black and white. Our eyes register images at a faster pace than the human eye, so high definition (HD) TV is more enjoyable for us to watch. We don’t mean to be picky, but more frames per second eliminate flickering images.

Our brains are developed enough for us to recognize images on TV, as we do in real life. So, yes mom, we can see and hear our furry friends when they appear on the screen! Some of us like to respond back to them, which tends to be based on our personality and breed. Just like humans, some of us are taken in by TV and can easily become couch potatoes, while others of us would prefer a walk or run with our owner…that by the way is not us! Behaviors range from quietly watching the TV to aggressively running up and barking at the TV, with some dogs trying to get behind the TV to find the dog. We simply cannot watch TV with our cousin because she barks continuously at the TV dog. That makes it difficult for us to follow the story line! Additionally, dogs that are bred to herd are more motivated by moving images, so they tend to watch the TV intently and may respond by barking. Those bred to be more scent-driven may not be as interested in the TV dogs.

Happy TV watching and let us know what you think of Downward Dog!

Talk to you soon!

Buster and Joey