It’s no secret that dogs interact differently than humans with the world around us. While we tend to lead with visual cues, oftentimes pups are listening and smelling to get the same information. But that doesn’t mean that dogs can’t discover the same sights as us. More and more, we’re noticing our animals responding to televisions, and it’s cracking us up.
This particular canine posted on TikTok and to r/AnimalsBeingDerps spots a bustling scene on his owner’s giant TV. The show includes a group of people eating in a cafe, and one character holds a pie in their hand without paying much attention to it. The lab realizes he might have a shot at stealing the food and approaches the set to eat it, but is foiled by the fact that, well, it’s not real. He licks the screen and then gazes up at his owner, asking why he’s not able to steal the snack.
Commenters loved this hungry dog and adored his giving it a try. “When he didn’t taste food he looked down to see if the guy had dropped it ? Poor stupid baby, so precious,” said u/aberrasian. To be honest, we think he’s a genius for going for it in the first place.
Another, u/neltymind, came to the pup’s defense with “He didn’t want to steal, he thought the guy was holding it for him to take.” u/Dry_Presentation_197 responded to them, “Found the puppy lawyer. Paw-yer?”
Top comment by u/yankykiwi focused on the breed mentioning, “If you called me at the vet and said your dog ate a sock, I’d always ask which Labrador is theirs.” Yup, that about sums up this funny dog video.
Can dogs watch television?
Yes, dogs can watch TV and might even have a favorite show (probably one with a dog or cat in it). You may notice that older TVs are harder for a pup to see in large part because of the refresh rate and lower quality overall (they don’t have as good eyesight as we do). However, HD plus bigger screens allow them to get a lot more from their viewing experience. About this dog, u/Poke-Party asked, “I’ve never figured out why some dogs are super reactive to things on television and others pay it no attention at all.” The truth is, this is likely all about the individual’s personality, and there’s no way to easily identify which ones will be into it and which ones will ignore all screens.
If you want to give dog TV a shot in your household, try putting on a particularly pup-friendly show. You probably want something with other animals in it (it seems food might be a good choice too). Also, remember your beastie wants the sound cues as well (we don’t recommend smell-o-vision, though). Eventually, you might find out what they like best and can use your television as a dog babysitter from time to time.
