Do you think dogs are aware of time?

[Josie]

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[Josie]

We've just been away for 12 days without Dennis and it got me thinking.... how aware are dogs about time? and time passing? Was he aware of how long we had been away?

 

[JudyN]

I read of one dog who could be left on their own for something like 4 hours 15 mins. Just a couple of mins less was fine, and just a couple of mins more resulted in howling!

One thing I've noticed is that the longer it is since Jasper has been to a particular walking location, the more he chooses to go there. If he goes to one bit of heath one day, I can almost guarantee he won't ask to go there the next day - and if we've not gone there for a while, I can almost guarantee he will! So he does seem to have a concept of 'I've not been there for a while.'

 

[Biker John]

Not sure if Folly has an idea about time apart from she wants her meal about 1/2 hour ealier than she gets it.

 

[Sally&Daisy]

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My Lab certainly knows when it's walkies, wake up, afternoon nap, breakfast and dinner time, I think a good routine makes them realise the time more

 

[Sally&Daisy]

Not sure if Folly has an idea about time apart from she wants her meal about 1/2 hour ealier than she gets it.

Totally agreed but it's an hour with labs

 

[Josie]

Totally agreed but it's an hour with labs

Or even sometimes 2hrs...

 

[Mad Murphy]

Yes... The clock changes play havoc with them Benny would be up and wanting to go walkies at 6am because the cvlock had changed but as far as he was concerned it was 7am.
The boys used to wake up and get restless by the back door around 4,30 pm when OH still worked. He used to get home around 4.40-4.45 and they always got the crust of his sandwich so they knew they had to be ready and waiting.

My nieghbours have just been looking adfter their sons beagle.. They've done this a few times while he goes on holiday and for 14 days she was fine but this time the family are away for 3 weeks and last weekend when her family didnt appear she started to get anxious whining at the door , not settleing etc she knew they should have been home...

 

[Sezzy]

Misty is definitely aware of what time we will both be home. If I’m running late I’ve looked at the camera and seen her keep looking at the door which she doesn’t do the rest of the morning. When she’s been at the in-laws for the morning they have told me that she gets up and goes to the door about half hour before I’m due round to collect her. When she was a puppy she would go and wait in the kitchen when it was time for food.

 

[Flobo]

Me and my first dog Emily lived with my grandma for a few months when I was younger and she lived in a block of flats, I used to do allsorts of strange shifts, earlys, lates, split etc. My grandma always said that 15minutes before I walked through the door, Emily would suddenly wake up and go and sit in the hall..she can't have known my pattern as there was none, I wonder if she picked up intuitively when my head turned from work space to home space??( It was a 15minute walk home from work), spooky!!
I reckon dogs do have a 'concept' of time, it's just different to ours.

 

[Biker John]

As I said before I don't think Folly understands about time, but if someone heard me when I'm leaving her at home they would think I thought she does. Like today, leaving I lock the back door, she comes into the kitchen for a treat, I give it to her then say 'I'm just off out should only be about an hour, see you in a while'. I realised I do it, obviously, the time varies a bit, every time I leave her. Am I crazy?

 

[Josie]

As I said before I don't think Folly understands about time, but if someone heard me when I'm leaving her at home they would think I thought she does. Like today, leaving I lock the back door, she comes into the kitchen for a treat, I give it to her then say 'I'm just off out should only be about an hour, see you in a while'. I realised I do it, obviously, the time varies a bit, every time I leave her. Am I crazy?

Nope you’re not crazy OR I am crazy with you! I do exactly the same with Dennis. He gets a treat and I say “ I won’t be long and be a good boy” and he just looks at me from his bed

 

[Teddy560]

As I said before I don't think Folly understands about time, but if someone heard me when I'm leaving her at home they would think I thought she does. Like today, leaving I lock the back door, she comes into the kitchen for a treat, I give it to her then say 'I'm just off out should only be about an hour, see you in a while'. I realised I do it, obviously, the time varies a bit, every time I leave her. Am I crazy?

No, I dread to think of the conversations my Mum has with her dog... she used to sing to my hamster when I was in school.