The days are getting longer and the sun is getting brighter. Wait, what’s that? Your dog is standing over you at 5 am with their food bowl screaming for breakfast? We looked at how daylight savings impacts your dog and how to help them adjust!
Does my dog know it is Daylight Savings time?
Not really. While dogs tend to sleep at night and wake up when the sun rises (as opposed to being nocturnal) they are not especially in tune with daylight savings.
What your pup is really responding to is your change in schedule. You will probably start getting up earlier, but if you don’t the sun will be brighter in the morning and might wake your pup. Your pup is also used to eating at specific times, so when we spring forward, that 8 am breakfast is now an hour earlier!
If your pup was already an early riser, you might be in for a rude awakening Sunday morning.
Why does my dog get up so early now? Do dogs have an internal clock?
There are two reasons your pup might be waking up earlier. The first is a habit. Even if you stay up late on Saturday night, your pup might wake up at their usual time on Daylight Savings time. The second reason is the sunlight – if you don’t want the sun to get you up early, consider using blackout curtains – then neither of you will know when the sun comes up.
If you opt to do…
