Hot on the heels of the great video of Smitty watching “Marmaduke” that we posted yesterday comes this announcement of a brand new television channel just for dogs. The brainchild of Ron Levi, a TV writer and dog lover, DOGTV aims to reduce loneliness and alleviate separation anxiety for dogs who are left home alone. According to the “Why” page of the DOGTV website:
DOGTV is the ideal babysitter for “home alone” dogs. Research shows that dogs feel better in the company of television, especially when the right content is on.DOGTV’s three types of programming offer relaxing and stimulating content as well as positive behavioral reinforcements. Dogs that are left alone tend to become anxious so the calming sounds and music in the relaxing segments were created to keep them peaceful. Many dogs also suffer from a lack of stimulation, which becomes acute when their parents are away. The stimulating segments provide dogs with invigorating images, animation and exciting real world sounds to keep them up and running.
I must say, the website is chock-full of information on whether or not dogs can really watch TV (“yes,” obviously), what the proper volume level should be, and more. Spend a few minutes poking about, and you’ll learn a lot.
That said, what do you think? Is this a valid way to help your dog get through long periods alone, or is it just a gimmick?