ohmidog!

In what’s billed as the first-ever TV commercial for dogs, Nestle will be testing an ad for Beneful dog food that contains squeaks, pings and high-frequency noises the company hopes will capture the attention of dogs.

Apparently, the company thinks owners who see their dogs react and wag their tails when the ad airs will jump to the conclusion that their dogs want some Beneful.

That’s a pretty long jump, but — as our “Woof in Advertising” series shows — appealing to dog lovers has proven a good way to sell products. Appealing to dogs, much like candy makers do to kids, is maybe just the logical next step.

Nestle says it asked its experts in pet behavior to help them understand what noises get dogs’ tails wagging, and incorporated three of those sounds in the ad.

“Dogs’ hearing is twice as sharp as humans. They can pick up frequencies which are beyond our range and they are better at differentiating sounds,” Dr. Georg Sanders, a nutrition expert and consumer consultant at Nestlé Purina PetCare in Germany, explained in a company press release.

The advertisement uses a squeak, similar to the sound dog toys make; a high pitched ping, also audible to both dogs and people, and a high frequency tone, similar to a dog whistle, that humans can barely hear.

“We wanted to create a TV commercial that our four-legged friends can enjoy and listen to, but also allow the owner and dog to experience it together,” said Anna Rabanus, Brand Manager of Beneful for Nestlé Purina PetCare Germany.

The commercial was first broadcast on German TV channels, national internet sites and the Beneful website during the summer months.

The 23-second TV spot will be shown in Austria this week.

The ad isn’t the first campaign in which Nestle takes aim at dogs’ sensory powers. Last year, the scent of Beneful dog food was incorporated into posters and advertising boards in German cities, in hopes of attracting dogs out for walks with their owners.

The philosophy behind the campaigns seems to be that if dogs show interest in Beneful, owners will oblige and buy them some — much like a parent might do for a child who, based on advertising, wants a particular kind of cereal.

There’s one major difference, though. Dogs, I’m pretty sure, won’t whine and nag their owners about it constantly until they cave in.