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I have an approx. 7 yo Queensland Healer that is the most wonderful dog in the world, with the except of one behavior that makes my wife and I crazy.

Tarpey barks at any animal he sees on TV. He seems to see them as a threat as he charges the TV and barks and surges at them until they go away. We are supposing he thinks the TV is a window and that there is some emminent threat of the animal invading the house.

He will even try to go behind the TV to pursue offenders, he will chase the Wells Fargo stagecoach around the back of the TV as it exits stage right.

He has come to recognize the music in various commercials and will come running from another room to attack the Purina cat chow kitties, surging and lunging at the TV.

Anyone else have similar behavior and know of an effective way to train this out of a dog? Any help would be appreciated.

We would dearly love to watch Turner and Hooch.

TIA, Dale

I have absolutely no idea how to help you with this problem. I'm very sorry. Initially I'm sure the behavior was a bit amusing, but I can see that over time this would be quite annoying.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

Thank you Chelle

>>I have an approx. 7 yo Queensland Healer that is the most wonderful dog in the world, with the except of one behavior that makes my wife and I crazy.
>>
>>Tarpey barks at any animal he sees on TV. He seems to see them as a threat as he charges the TV and barks and surges at them until they go away. We are supposing he thinks the TV is a window and that there is some emminent threat of the animal invading the house.
>>
>>He will even try to go behind the TV to pursue offenders, he will chase the Wells Fargo stagecoach around the back of the TV as it exits stage right.
>>
>>He has come to recognize the music in various commercials and will come running from another room to attack the Purina cat chow kitties, surging and lunging at the TV.
>>
>>Anyone else have similar behavior and know of an effective way to train this out of a dog? Any help would be appreciated.
>>
>>We would dearly love to watch Turner and Hooch.
>>
>>TIA, Dale

>>>>>>>>>>>>

Yes, I had a dog who started this. The first time, we thought it was funny, but we learned different. When I saw him jump up and bat the TV with front feet and rock it, I realized he could get hurt! So I taught him not to do that. We still have to remember to switch him out of the mode every time, but the habit has faded nicely and he seldom reacts to the TV anymore.

He likes to play ball, so my first move was to start a ball game with him to distract him from the TV every time he began the reactions. Or I would switch the channel if I wasn't interested in the show anyway. Or I would cover his eyes. Pretty soon I saw him deliberately turn himself to face the other way! The funniest was one day when I changed the channel with the remote as he was barking at the TV. He looked at the remote and looked at my face, and he realized I had changed that channel. It was cool.

You can change this, and you do need to do so with a large dog. If people with small dogs are willing to live with this (many are not), that may be more annoying than dangerous. But the big dog is at risk of damaging the TV and getting hurt in the process.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

>>I have an approx. 7 yo Queensland Healer that is the most wonderful dog in the world, with the except of one behavior that makes my wife and I crazy.
>>
>>Tarpey barks at any animal he sees on TV. He seems to see them as a threat as he charges the TV and barks and surges at them until they go away. We are supposing he thinks the TV is a window and that there is some emminent threat of the animal invading the house.
>>
>>He will even try to go behind the TV to pursue offenders, he will chase the Wells Fargo stagecoach around the back of the TV as it exits stage right.
>>
>>He has come to recognize the music in various commercials and will come running from another room to attack the Purina cat chow kitties, surging and lunging at the TV.
>>
>>Anyone else have similar behavior and know of an effective way to train this out of a dog? Any help would be appreciated.
>>
>>We would dearly love to watch Turner and Hooch.
>>
>>TIA, Dale

Hi,
My first reaction was to think how cute this was but then I thought how annoying it could be as well as possibly dangerous. My only thought is to distract the dog with something he likes to do. Good luck and hope you find a way of watching your favorite TV shows in peace.
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Mary Lou & Katie