New TV Channel Entertains Stay-at-Home Dogs

If your dog likes to watch TV, you might have to start sharing the remote.

DOGTV premiered on Monday in San Diego, Calif. It airs programming that was developed to entertain your pooch and keep him out of trouble when he’s left home alone.

“DOGTV provides customized television entertainment while the rest of the family is away at work or too busy to play,” Gilad Neumann, CEO of DOGTV, said in a press release. “Studies show it relaxes and stimulates our dogs – keeping them healthier and more content.”

Based on scientific research as well as input from humane societies and pet experts (including the Humane Society of the United States and Victoria Stilwell), DOGTV’s creative team developed content that will engage a dog’s senses of sight and hearing.

“DOGTV took great care to select the right visuals – the scenery, scenarios, color palettes, camera angle, and transitions that appeal the most to dogs,” according to the press release. “In addition, the programming’s audio soundtracks, including music and other sounds, were selected specifically with a dog’s experience in mind.”

Programming is available 24 hours a day. The short, 3 to 6-minute segments are designed to either relax or stimulate your dog, and improve his behavior. The lineup works in conjunction with a dog’s daily routine by offering calming content followed by something more exciting.

“Animals need visual and auditory simulation throughout the day. DOGTV presents a breakthrough with programming that is created specifically for dogs,” said Nicholas H. Dodman, BVMS, MRCVS, a specialist in animal behavior who is the channel’s chief scientist. “It will help millions of dogs that are left home alone every day and also help pet parents who don’t have the luxury of taking their dog with them to work or paying for doggie daycare.”

DOGTV, which is getting ready for a national launch, will be available to subscribers for $4.99 a month. It is available now in San Diego on COX (channel 2635) and Time Warner (channel 148) cable.

In the meantime, if you don’t live in San Diego, you can have your pooch check out this DOGTV Relaxation segment. (It seems to be effective for humans, too, based on informal research conducted at i Love Dogs, Inc. headquarters.)

PHOTO: Shannon Abigail Simbulan