Do Dogs Understand Time?

It can be safe to say that the majority of people treat their pet dogs like family, and many will agree that leaving them alone in the house can seem heartbreaking. Do you sometimes wonder if your dog is able to perceive time? Does your pet know when it’s time to eat, or when it’s that time of the week when you will be going out for a walk? Does your pet also know when you’ll be coming home from work every day too, and you will always find it eagerly waiting against the window of your house? Your dog may not be carrying a watch, but a lot of homeowners will agree that their canine friends have a pretty good grasp of what it is. While dogs don’t really have the ability to read time, there are various explanations of why they seem to know what time it is. But what’s the explanation for this? Does your pet dog really understand the concept of time?

DOGS AND THEIR CONCEPT OF TIME

1. It’s Biological

Dogs also have circadian rhythms, which helps them regulate the processes in their body. This helps them tell when it’s time to eat, or when it is time to sleep. Dog’s also have a biological clock that helps them differentiate daytime from the nighttime, along with other daily activities and behavior such as eating and going out.

2. Through Their Environment

Because dogs are smart animals, they are able to observe, perceive and react to their environment. This way, they are able to predict or perceive various situations and be able to understand and tell what will happen, or what is already happening. For example, does your pet dog know that you’re about to leave your home when it sees you putting on your shoes? Dog’s also have a strong sense of smell and facial recognition as well.

Dogs can figure out routines, and this can contribute to how they are able to understand time. Dogs become highly accustomed to the routines of their owners, along with various triggers and associations in their environment, which makes it seem that they can tell time.

In a nutshell, it can be safe to say, and most owners will definitely agree, that dogs have great memories, that they are smart. This is because they can easily understand their environment, along with how it works. But despite this, is it really safe to say that dogs can understand time?

While dogs aren’t able to understand time in terms of hours, minutes, days, or months, they have their own perception or understanding of how it happens. They have their own unique way of telling how time is passing.

At the end of the day, even though dogs don’t have the same concept of time, just like how humans do, they will still be able to anticipate future events, and they will also know how long you’ve been away from home as well. You can help your dog and train it to be able to relate and predict future events based on its past experiences or memories.