Parents' Guide to

Dog Tales

By Anne Louise Bannon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Fun for pooch fans, but info not always complete.

TV Syndicated Reality TV 2007
Dog Tales Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 2 parent reviews

MonkeyMerle
MonkeyMerle Adult
January 3, 2021
age 2+

Awesome show

I love the show it’s great for children adults alike

This title has:

Great role models
Mygirls2020
Mygirls2020 Adult
May 31, 2020
age 18+

Awesome

This is a very good program for the whole family!

This title has:

Great role models
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

DOG TALES is a quick-moving, syndicated video \"magazine\" show about dogs and responsible dog ownership. Segments feature families and their dogs, some information about different breeds, and profiles of veterinarians, roaming clinics, and other folks doing good things for dogs. The series strongly reinforces the message to spay and neuter your pets.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (2):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Dog Tales is enjoyable and mostly informative, but take it with a grain of salt. The show emphasizes how wonderful dogs are -- and they are! -- but, unfortunately, it also glosses over some negative traits in certain breeds of dogs and/or oversimplifies issues related to people/pet dynamics, and that can cause problems. For example, in one episode, an expert suggests that people tend to over-dominate their pets. And if he's talking about folks who insist on complete control and do things like hit their animals, he's right. But if you've got a small child and a larger dog, the child will need to be dominant (though not abusive!) so that the dog won't hurt the kid.

For experienced dog owners, the show is great -- you can't beat the series' passion for the dogs, and the pooches are fun to watch. But potential or new dog owners need to know that there's a lot more to be learned.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what shows like this teach viewers. What are the good things people can learn? Are there any bad things? What are the potential consequences of leaving information out of TV shows, movies, articles, books, etc? How can you sort out good information from incomplete or bad information? What sources are most and least reliable?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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