Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Social Sciences
First Advisor
Harley, Heidi
Area of Concentration
Biopsychology, Animal Wellbeing and Conservation
Abstract
Enrichment has become a major focus in the animal community in recent years. Not only is this true for animals in a zoo environment, it is also true for household animals like dogs. Exploring ways to enrich a dog’s life when they are left alone could potentially improve their wellbeing. This paper investigates a dog’s preferences for (1) cartoon depictions of humans, dogs and other species; (2) video representations of real humans, dogs and other species; and (3) cartoon dogs versus real humans, dog, and other species. Two screens depicting pairs of video clips were presented to the dog while two cameras recorded the duration of time she spent watching the screens. Overall, the dog spent more time watching real animates versus cartoons characters, and her favorite videos were of a real German Shepherd, a real chicken, a cartoon dog (Bolt), and a real human woman (Reba McEntire). In addition, patterns of preferential looking were not the same across depictions of real animates versus cartoon animates, perhaps because the dog had favorite videos or because the dog did not recognize that cartoon animates represent real ones. The dog’s watching time suggests that television could be an efficient enrichment tool when used properly. However, preferred genres/shows may vary by individual dog.
Recommended Citation
Ledbetter, Eliza, "Do Dogs Really Watch TV? An Investigation into a Dog’s Preferences for Depictions of Real Humans, Dogs and Other Animals versus Cartoon Depictions of Humans, Dogs and Other Animals" (2024). Theses & ETDs. 6559.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/6559