# Another Dog Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 5, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438 "2014-04-05T22:37:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/1 "2014-04-05T22:37:07Z")
My wife insists on leaving the TV or radio on for our 1 year old Jack Russell terrier when we have to go out and can’t bring him along. She thinks it keeps him company while we are gone. I don’t think the dog really cares one way or the other. He is an only dog if that makes any difference and he has access to a fenced in outside area if he wants to go outside. So is there any benefit to leaving the TV or radio on for your dog when you leave the house for a few hours? ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/2 "2014-04-05T23:12:57Z")
You’re most likely wasting electricity. Although I have a cat who actively watches TV if I put Animal Planet on and there’s a nature show. Her favorite is Big Cat Diary. We watch that almost every weekday morning. We also have the Cat Sitter tape and she loves that. Swats at the screen and looks behind it to see where the critters are running off. She would be entertained, but my dogs would’t. They’ve never noticed the TV. The whole fur family just naps when we’re gone. ---
**Author:** ![Ornery\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/da6949/32.png) [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/3 "2014-04-05T23:33:26Z")
If the dog isn’t watching television when you’re there, it’s a safe bet he’s not watching it when you’re gone. On the other hand, it’s not hurting him and it just might be more more about keeping the wife happy than the dog. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/4 "2014-04-06T00:42:56Z")
As long as it would not interfere with hearing an intruder, I would appease the wife. Rather have a ‘on the job’ guard dog though, than one trying to hear past the artificial noise. Your guard system may vary. ---
**Author:** ![StayseaDee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@StayseaDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StayseaDee)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/5 "2014-04-06T01:21:07Z")
I think the dogs are comforted by having the background noise that would be playing if you were home. I usually leave my TV on if I go to the store or out to dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Roanrider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Roanrider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roanrider)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/6 "2014-04-06T04:43:11Z")
I leave some sort of noise going when I’m going out or staying in. It seems to keep my pups from running outside at every little noise. They all know if they alert at a sound and I say just tv, that there is nothing to be alarmed about. Your neighbors may appreciate the reduction in barking. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/7 "2014-04-06T05:18:54Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > So is there any benefit to leaving the TV or radio on for your dog when you leave the house for a few hours? I have no idea, but I almost always leave the radio on when I leave the house. I leave it on the local sports talk station so Kilgore will be up to date on the latest sports news. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/8 "2014-04-06T08:33:37Z")
My dog reacts to live music, but not to music from speakers. I mean, she actively likes live music like piano and guitar, but doesn’t react in the same way to sound from speakers. She also doesn’t react to the tv at all. Another thing: she’s terrified of all kinds of bangs and explosions, so we bought a training cd that slowly ups the volume. She doesn’t react to it. This led me to conclude that her good hearing leads to her experiencing the sound from speakers differently. I think to her it’s not “real” and she just doesn’t care about it. The only good it does do, is that if there is far away thunder and we play loud music she can’t hear it. If that might be a benefit for your dog, I would leave the music on. (Of course some dogs do react to sound from speakers, so your dog might like it, I don’t know!) ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/9 "2014-04-06T13:52:45Z")
I should have mentioned that my dog does watch TV with us sometimes, especially if there is a dog, cat or bird on the TV. He will be laying on the the couch, apparently napping, when a dog on the TV will bark. He will raise his head, look directly at the TV and begin to growl loudly. But he will sometimes react even without hearing the animal first, just from seeing it. I have never had a dog or cat before that payed any attention to TV. He used to go nuts if there were horses, cows or elephants on TV, but we’ve worked on calming him down since we live in cow and horse country and don’t want him going nuts when he is in the car. A few months ago he would not only growl, whimper and bark at the TV, but would also scratch at the door to go outside, which led me to believe that he thought the TV was really a window, and he would go outside and try to locate the elephants he had just seen to find out where they went. That kind of makes sense considering a dog has no concept of the difference between a TV a window. As far leaving the TV on, I don’t think he gets much comfort from it. If there is an animal on TV he starts to growl or bark, so I think leaving it off would mean he will be less agitated than leaving it on. Since I am often the one leaving the house last and leaving the dog behind I am going to leave the TV off since I don’t think it soothes him at all. If my wife wants to leave it on for him she can… ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/10 "2014-04-06T14:04:54Z")
I do it sometimes because it might prevent Blackjack from noticing some of the noises from the street and the neighbors and not make him feel like he has to defend the property. But I’ve never seen any indication that he pays attention to the TV, except for an episode of Modern Family where there’s a smoke detector beeping because of a low battery, and that sound freaks him out. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/11 "2014-04-06T16:41:27Z")
> [@Ornery\_Bob](#): > > …On the other hand, it’s not hurting him and it just might be more more about keeping the wife happy than the dog. This is exactly why I do it. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/12 "2014-04-06T17:32:24Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I should have mentioned that my dog does watch TV with us sometimes, especially if there is a dog, cat or bird on the TV. He will be laying on the the couch, apparently napping, when a dog on the TV will bark. He will raise his head, look directly at the TV and begin to growl loudly. But he will sometimes react even without hearing the animal first, just from seeing it. > > I have never had a dog or cat before that payed any attention to TV. > > He used to go nuts if there were horses, cows or elephants on TV, but we’ve worked on calming him down since we live in cow and horse country and don’t want him going nuts when he is in the car. > > A few months ago he would not only growl, whimper and bark at the TV, but would also scratch at the door to go outside, which led me to believe that he thought the TV was really a window, and he would go outside and try to locate the elephants he had just seen to find out where they went. That kind of makes sense considering a dog has no concept of the difference between a TV a window. > > As far leaving the TV on, I don’t think he gets much comfort from it. \*\*If there is an animal on TV he starts to growl or bark, so I think leaving it off would mean he will be less agitated than leaving it on. \*\* > > Since I am often the one leaving the house last and leaving the dog behind I am going to leave the TV off since I don’t think it soothes him at all. If my wife wants to leave it on for him she can… I used to have a very neurotic dog I got from the shelter and she would get so distressed about the TV, my aquarium and even mirrors that for the first couple of years I had her, I covered these things with sheets. Since JRTs tend to be somewhat high strung (I have a JRT mix) plus yours already gets agitated by animals on the screen, it makes more sense to leave it off, I’d think. That said I leave the classical station on for my three dogs when I go to work. I don’t think they benefit from it but dogs are creatures of habit and it’s become part of my going-to-work routine. When I turn on the stereo before leaving, they each trundle off to their daily sleeping spots. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/13 "2014-04-07T08:31:44Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I do it sometimes because it might prevent Blackjack from noticing some of the noises from the street and the neighbors and not make him feel like he has to defend the property. But I’ve never seen any indication that he pays attention to the TV, except for an episode of Modern Family where there’s a smoke detector beeping because of a low battery, and that sound freaks him out. I agree. This “white noise” from a TV/radio can be beneficial for some dogs experiencing separation anxiety. ---
**Author:** ![LightWithoutHeattttttttttttttt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc8723/32.png) [@LightWithoutHeattttttttttttttt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LightWithoutHeattttttttttttttt)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-dog-question/685438/14 "2014-04-07T17:34:56Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > I have no idea, but I almost always leave the radio on when I leave the house. I leave it on the local sports talk station so Kilgore will be up to date on the latest sports news. 😉 Awesome dog name, by the way … also a great name for a pet trout!