2007-01-16 12:53:35 · 18 answers · asked by mcthepilot 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Dogs are very cued into the environment around them, and they understand temporal correlation, in addition to having a well developed internal clock. Have you ever noticed that your dog will get up within 15 minutes of your child returning home from school on the bus? Or they know their dinner time? It's all routine - they recognize that when a certain event happens, something else will happen in the near future.
2007-01-16 13:40:21 · answer #1 · answered by maguire1202 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
All animals are thought to have an internal body clock and the one for dogs is meant to be very well tuned. Saw this TV program not so long back about different types of dogs getting excited when their owners were due home from work or school and they would watch from the window at exactly the same time every day. It seems they just 'know'!
2007-01-16 13:02:03 · answer #2 · answered by Bart S 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Every reasonable vet would say no - but - I think they can to some extent. They know to wake you up each morning at almost exactly the same time to go outside. They bark and prod you with a paw to tell you a meal is late, and they feel the same about bedtime as kids do. They would rather play. So - I guess that I would vote yes.
2007-01-16 13:03:19 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dogs are not skilled at telling the time, but they are good at making associations. If you videoed your dog, you could spot the things that alert your dog to your imminent arrival. For example, the sound of your car moving into the garage helps your dog know when to expect you.
2007-01-16 12:59:58 · answer #4 · answered by AC 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Can they look at the clock and go "Gee, it's 11:15, time for lunch"?
No.
They do, however, have an internal clock that can get set to a rhythm and pattern, so they'll wake up at about the same time every day, start pacing by the food bowl at about the same time every day, start looking at the door for someone to come home from school or work at about the same time every day, etc.
It doesn't mean that they can tell time, it means that it's the routine and pattern that their life is adjusted to.
2007-01-16 13:12:51 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
My dog always did. She just knew routine and the sound of my vehicle miles away. I often saw my neighbors dog sit at the front door & wait for them same time 5 days a week.
2007-01-16 13:02:52 · answer #6 · answered by Dotr 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think they can "tell time" but they do measure time somehow. My pups wake me at 4:45 every morning plus or minus 10 minutes. When the time changes in the spring and fall they will be about 1 hour off until they adjust to the new routine.
2007-01-16 12:58:05 · answer #7 · answered by steve.c_50 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think so, but not by looking at a clock and not in terms of "5:00." I'm pretty sure they judge it by the sun at first, then they start to relate the amount of light outside to things y'all do inside at that time. Like, if you took your dog on a walk at 8am every morning, he or she would learn that that is when you walk them. Kinda like how our bodies tell us to go to sleep and when to wake up at a certain time. It's an inner clock.
2007-01-16 13:05:29 · answer #8 · answered by mandy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Maybe not actually by looking at a watch, but my mom says our dog goes to the window and starts watching for me when it is time for me to come home.
2007-01-16 12:57:41 · answer #9 · answered by Sparkles 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think so. My dog always knows when it's time to be fed, and she will bug me until she is fed. She also knows when it's bedtime, and she will stand and wait by the bedroom door.
2007-01-16 13:03:08 · answer #10 · answered by noonecanne 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋