how do i get my dog to stop going nuts at the tv?

gags89

I have a westie and anytime another animal or a baddy turns up on the screen he doesn't like he goes all rigid and races over and barks at the tv!


i try to hold him on the couch saying no etc or distract him with rubs but hes off like a light but sometimes he jumps up at the thing and im afraid he'l break it!

how do i teach him that its just a tv or to chill out!?? i have another dog - a springer spaniel and shes grand!

thanks!

peasant

You press this switch on the dog TV remote



Seriously ...if he's ignoring you while you have him under your direct control, you have an issue there that needs working on.

When he tenses up, tell him "no", if he continues, switch off the telly and try to get him to respond again. Reward when he's cool and relaxed

smooch71

gags89 wrote: »

I have a westie and anytime another animal or a baddy turns up on the screen he doesn't like he goes all rigid and races over and barks at the tv!


i try to hold him on the couch saying no etc or distract him with rubs but hes off like a light but sometimes he jumps up at the thing and im afraid he'l break it!

how do i teach him that its just a tv or to chill out!?? i have another dog - a springer spaniel and shes grand!

thanks!

It's possibly a Westie thing because as dogs go they're headcases.

Mine does the same thing.

Myself and my wife can't sit and watch programmes like the Wire in any comfort. Every second scene in that seems to have a dog barking in the background, which sends our dog bananas.

happypuppy

while i don't generally agree with the idea that breed has an effect on behaviour, I too have a westie who has issues with the TV - animals, children and suspense / baddie entering type music of any kind! He barks like mad and jumps up at the telly.

At the moment we are trying taking him out of the room when he starts and staying in the room so his 'punishment' is being left out, only minor improvement so far but will keep trying

echosound

We've another TV watching Westie here, must be something in the breed as no other dog I've ever had paid a blind bit of attention to the TV - our westie will actually sit in front of it and watch it at times, getting just as engrossed as we would!

She goes nuts at everything that's been mentioned - any animals (real or cartoon), and any "villains" that appear on screen too.

The only way we get to watch the TV in peace is to not actually let her see what's going on on the TV - she has her own little spot on a couch in the sittingroom with a dogblanket laid out on it, where you can't see the screen from, and if there's anything on the TV that normally starts her off growling or balancing on her hind legs trying to see the screen better, she's told to "get up to bed" and she'll grudgingly hop up into her spot, trying to peer around the chimneybreast to see if she can somehow still watch the TV from there (she cant ).

So that would be my advice to get a peaceful few hrs to watch the TV - give your westie a little "spot" in the room that they know is their "bed" (put down a blanket or a basket or whatever that they know is theirs alone) somewhere they won't be able to see the screen from (behind a couch, in some nook you can't see the screen from etc) and if they start getting growly when something comes on the TV, order them into bed.

Westies seem to be great at taking directional instructions (come here, go to bed, sit, go outside, fetch, etc) but not so good at being able to stop the grumbling at whatever they're looking at that's annoying them. Our westie has learned that she's not allowed bark at the TV, but for the life of her, try as she might, she can't put a complete stop to the constant "talking", she'll moderate it from a loud growl to an almost inaudible rumble when she's ordered, but it's still there (and you can see her letting off a little growl, then looking startled - and a bit guilty - that she's still grumbling, but not quite able to completely shut it down altogether) so the solution for us is to just make sure she knows she has to sit in a spot where she can't see the TV from

smooch71

happypuppy wrote: »

while i don't generally agree with the idea that breed has an effect on behaviour

I wouldn't claim to be an expert on dogs but broadly I think different breeds of dogs do show different "personality" traits and this surely must effect behaviour.

happypuppy

I simply meant I don't think its fair on any dog to claim because they are a certain breed they will act a certain way, I agree they will have similar personality traits but the way they are treated and trained has an affect too .

smooch71

happypuppy wrote: »

I simply meant I don't think its fair on any dog to claim because they are a certain breed they will act a certain way, I agree they will have similar personality traits but the way they are treated and trained has an affect too .

I hear you but my dog doesn't seem to care what I say....

happypuppy

Mine actually acts deaf sometimes and completely ignores me it would be annoying if it wasn't so funny, he is like a teenager with an attitude!