TV programming is really going to the dogs.

Starting next month, Fido and Fifi can spend the day couched out in the family room munching Milk Bones and watching hour upon hour of shows produced exclusively for pampered pups.

DOGTV — the first-ever TV network devoted to “stay-at-home” canines — launches Aug. 1 on satellite provider DirecTV.

“DOGTV is the ideal baby sitter for ‘home alone’ dogs. Research shows that dogs feel better in the company of television, especially when the right content is on,” the network says on its Web site.

House-bound hounds can watch videos that will help them relax from the stress of chasing cats and pining for their next bowl of Alpo.

“Relaxing sounds and music have been created to keep anxious dogs calm,” the network said in a statement.

The shows can also help jittery pooches get used to stressful situations, such as blaring car horns and tail-pulling toddlers.

These segments will include “stimulating programming,” to “desensitize and expose dogs to different day-to-day stimuli,” according to the network.

And lazy pups who would rather lie around napping all day could benefit from programs that will inspire them to follow in the paw prints of heroes like Lassie and Toto.

“Dogs that suffer a lack of stimulation are shown invigorating images and animation along with playful music,” the network explained.

DOGTV will be free to DirecTV’s human subscribers through Aug. 14. After that, it will cost $4.99 a month — less than a large box of high-end dog biscuits.

And dog lovers who subscribe online at dogtv.com/directv will get one month for free and a package of “doggie goodies,” including coupons for discounts on a variety of canine favorites.

While the Aug. 1 premiere marks DOGTV’s national debut, the channel was test-marketed in San Diego for about six months, and was also available online and on the digital media site Roku.

And make no bones about the network’s bona fides – their consultants included noted pet experts Nicholas Dodman, Victoria Stilwell and Warren Eckstein.

DOGTV has been recognized by the Humane Society, and “uses concepts widely supported by leading organizations,” including the ASPCA and the American Veterinary Medical Association, according to the network.

Additional reporting by Bob Fredericks