Overview

• The study published in Scientific Reports shows that individual temperament predicts dogs’ television responses more than age, breed, sex, viewing duration, or stimulus modality.
• Researchers developed the Dog Television Viewing Scale (DTVS) to standardize owner-reported measures of how dogs interact with two-dimensional on-screen content.
• Excitable dogs were found to closely track moving objects on screen, whereas fearful or anxious dogs reacted more to non-animal cues such as doorbells and car noises.
• Across the surveyed dogs, animal images and sounds elicited far stronger engagement than non-animal visuals or audio.
• The team proposes using the DTVS to tailor audiovisual enrichment programs aimed at improving welfare in both companion and shelter settings.