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27 January 2025
If your dog starts barking around mealtime or eagerly circles you when it’s time for a walk, you might wonder if he knows the time. The short answer is yes, dogs have a sense of time—but it’s different from how humans perceive it.
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Dogs don’t measure time like humans with clocks or calendars. However, they are naturally aware of time, often marked by changes in their bodies, behavior, and environment. Studies suggest that dogs experience time at different speeds, and their perception of it is based on sensory cues rather than numerical concepts.
For example, dogs don’t know “5 p.m.” or understand that it’s time for dinner, but they are highly in tune with their biological rhythms and environmental changes. Cues such as a growling stomach or your morning routine can signal the passage of time for them.
One key component of a dog’s sense of time is their circadian rhythm, which is their internal biological clock. This natural rhythm helps dogs know when to wake up, sleep, eat, go outside, or exercise. Changes heavily influence light, temperature, and other environmental factors.
Dogs are susceptible to smells, and their ability to track the passage of time using scent is remarkable. In her book Being a Dog, animal behavior expert Alexandra Horowitz explains how dogs can track the intensity of a smell to detect the passing of time. For example, when you leave the house, your scent becomes weaker over time, and your dog can tell by how weak your scent is when you return home, thus signaling to them when approximately you’ll return every day.
While dogs can’t read clocks, they can experience time as a sequence of events marked by changes in their surroundings or bodies. For instance, dogs are accustomed to the change from night to morning, which often brings the sound of their owners waking up or anticipating meals and walks. They also react to shifts in their owners’ routines—such as arriving home later than usual or changing the walk time. Their biological clock and environmental cues help them form their daily expectations.
While dogs may not know exactly how long you’ve been gone, many become noticeably excited when you return, especially if you’ve been absent for several hours. Studies have shown that dogs are more enthusiastic when their owners return after being gone for longer than two hours, compared to shorter absences. This behavior shows that dogs don’t measure time in hours or days but instead react to the present moment and their humans’ emotional cues.
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Dogs perceive time at a different pace than humans, primarily influenced by their higher metabolism. This means that time passes more slowly for them than for us. For example, while 60 minutes may feel like one hour to a human, it can feel more like 75 minutes to a dog.
This difference in perception is why dogs are often more in tune with routine events, such as regular mealtimes or walks, and can feel anxious when their schedules change.
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