The average dog now watches more than nine hours of TV a week – with Crufts emerging as their favourite show, according to new research.
A staggering 91% of owners admit their pet regularly sits on the sofa and watches TV with them. A further 36% say their pets is a “TV addict”.
And according to the study, carried out by Wagg, the average British dog spends one hour and 20 minutes a day in front of their favourite TV shows and often barks along to popular theme tunes.
A whopping 20% of the nation’s dog owners say Crufts – the world’s largest dog show- is their pets’ favourite, while 13 percent said it was Britain’s Got Talent. A further 11% said Emmerdale was top of the soaps, beating EastEnders and Coronation Street, while another nine per cent said their canine pals loved The Simpsons.
And when it comes to the TV personality most likely to get tails wagging it was a three way tie between Ant and Dec, David Attenborough and Paul O’Grady with 30% of dogs barking when they see their favourite celeb on screen.
Kirsty Allsop, Helen Skelton, Chris Packham and Piers Morgan emerged as the nation’s dogs least favourite stars.
Unsurprisingly football is our dog’s favourite sport (43%), followed by horse racing (12%), tennis (12% and greyhound racing (nine percent).
When it comes to TV turn offs, five per cent said the distinctive Doctor Who theme tune was the signal for their pets to take their leave, while another four per cent said Keeping up with the Kardashians was their dogs idea of viewing hell.
Border Terriers come top of the TV watching list, clocking up an average 12 hours a week, while Boxers watch 11 hours. Cocker Spaniels watch the least at just eight hours.
24% owners say their dog enjoys sitting down and watching a good box set with 15% claiming Game of Thrones is their favourite, followed by 14% who said their pooch enjoys zombie apocalypse show The Walking Dead.
A further 71% of owners say watching TV strengthens the bond between them and their pet.
Clinical Animal Behaviourist Rosie Barclay added: “Dogs are social creatures and love being with humans. Watching TV snuggled up with their best friend in a relaxed environment is going to appeal to them.
“They may even gain pleasure from seeing the things they enjoy most being batted from one end of the screen to another or scuttling about in the undergrowth.
“They may also be positively stimulated by the sight and sounds of other dogs and people, and there may even be the chance of a tasty snack or two! As long as your dog is showing relaxed and happy behaviours and comes back for more, then all is good.
“However, if your dog is barking madly at the TV, tries to move away, is panting, shaking, licking its lips or showing the whites of its eyes then perhaps it’s time for some quiet time away from the screen and you should ask your vet to refer you to someone who can help your dog cope better with the things that humans enjoy.”
Wagg commissioned the study to mark the launch of Dogglebox, a one-off spoof specially created for YouTube with a completely canine cast. The video sees pooches of all shapes and sizes parody the Channel 4 TV show, Gogglebox.
Here’s Dogglebox: