DogTV
On tonight’s Great British Bark Off, six outstanding pets will be competing to impress Prue Leash & Paul Hollywoof. They’ll demonstrate their obedience, and their stick-fetching abilities. What dog is going to be the one told to get down? – and which will be voted Man’s Best Friend?
Of course, I am joking. That won’t really be happening. Our favourite television friends, the dogs, have long lost their place.
Viewers of a certain age may remember Lassie or have grown up with Blue Peter’s Shep and Petra, but now you’re unlikely to see a mutt on screen unless it’s a casualty in some edgy drama.
Bobby, the collie was already dead, and was buried in his back yard at the beginning of Close To Me, a psychological thriller on Channel 4 this weekend. In flashbacks, we only glimpsed the poor animal.
However, that could soon change as a channel dedicated to dogs was launched in the UK yesterday.
With round-the-clock footage of pooches playing, eating, chasing and getting their ears tickled, it’s a dog-lover’s dream. Except it isn’t aimed at owners.
DogTV is a subscription television service that launched in the UK. It is canine entertainment with specially selected colours and sounds.
DogTV’s somewhat bizarre concept is that DogTV provides entertainment for canines, using colours, sounds and subject matter specifically designed to be appealing to them.
Because I’m not able to add two legs to a tail, I can’t gauge the success of this American broadcaster in meeting its mission.
I do have a dog, though – a ‘cavoodle’ (or ‘cavapoo’ or ‘poovalier’) called Fizzy. She’s bright and inquisitive, and when wildlife programmes are on TV she pays attention to the animal cries and birdsong.
Fizzy and me reviewed DogTV’s launch together. Fizzy was initially intrigued by the four terriers running after a ball with lots of screaming and yapping.
A clip in which a child showed her Barbie dolls to Scottie dogs was more captivating. This went on forever and, as expected, the dog looked half-deaf from boredom.
Fizzy was completely bored when I attempted to replay clips. Repeats can cause dogs to get bored just like humans.
DogTV is said to be founded on solid science. They have been calibrated the colours. Dichromatic vision is a condition in which dogs see mainly black and white.
They do however have two types of colour-sensitive cells at their back, known as cones. They are unable to distinguish yellow from orange, and can only see grey as turquoise.
DogTV (pictured) says it’s based on science. DogTV (pictured) uses colours that are calibrated to dogs because they have dichromatic vision, which means most of the information they see is white and black.
Bright yellow and skyblue register. (That’s why some, bizarre though it might sound, love SpongeBob SquarePants.) Dog psychologist Dr John Bradshaw believes early canines didn’t need highly attuned colour vision as, unlike humans, they didn’t eat leaves and fruit.
Danger signals – bright scarlet berries, for example – from some poisonous plants were not important to dogs. Dogs also have a hard time seeing things close up.
Scent is the basis of their perceptions within 20 inches. It means your dogs only can perceive your face when cuddling you, but their comforting scent is what really matters.
This means you should ensure your pet is not too far away from the TV if they want to view it.
DogTV was a very popular program in the States over the years. Many owners have left their pet alone, leaving the TV on and these programs providing entertainment for many hours.
To me that sounds alarming but the channel’s founder, Ron Levi, claims studies show his programmes can help to reduce an animal’s stress levels. ‘Dogs are proven to like to see other dogs on screen,’ he insists.
There are three main genres of programming. The ‘stimulation’ segments feature running, play-fighting, exploring and chasing.
There are four-hour segments that include woodland walks, frisbee games and other outdoor activities.
Dreamy electronic music is available for dogs and their owners who just want to relax.
Short films featuring postmen calling doorbells as well as thunderstorms and vacuums emitting a muffled sound, are included. They are intended to aid pets in learning to manage stress.
And there are scores of instructional videos on subjects from ‘travelling with your dog’ to ‘therapy dogs’ and ‘music for your dog’.
The lengthy ‘good night’ films are somewhat bizarre, with distorted and dreamlike colours. The one shown here shows endless photos of families, which are gradually erased until it goes black. If I were a highly strung hound, that’s how my nightmares would look.
To subscribe (at £6.99 a month) you’ll need a smart television hooked up to a service such as AppleTV or Roku.
Whether it’s worth buying depends on your dog’s personality. My Fizzy wasn’t interested for long, but she’s bred to be a companion: she needs to be with humans day and night.
Poodle-crosses such as her were often kept in captivity by many people. This breed of dog is prone to anxious behavior and can be afraid to be left alone. Television isn’t a good substitute for human company.
DogTV is a great place to watch gentle, loving videos of your dog, who are loyal and unconditionally loved. You can even give your dog a bone.