Can Dogs Tell Time?

Does your dog have their nose pressed against the window when you arrive home from work? Does your dog sit by the door for your morning walk before you've grabbed the leash? 

To many dog owners, canines appear to have a fairly accurate concept of time. So, do they really know what time it is, or is there something else happening in their minds? Here are three different theories that give insight to your dog's concept of time:

One: Research suggests that dogs are capable of anticipating future events based on past experiences. Humans, who base time off of episodic events, can pinpoint when something happened in the past by relating it to other events.

Dogs, on the other hand, can only distinguish how much time has passed since an event has occurred - "my food bowl has been empty for several hours and my stomach is growling!" So, while they may not know that it's 6:00 pm, they may understand that it's been roughly 6 hours since their last meal which means it's time to anticipate dinner!

Two: Research evidence based on changes in a dog's behavior when left alone by their human companions for different lengths of time, may also prove their understanding time. Studies show that dogs display greater affection toward their owners if they've been separated for longer periods of time.

As the amount of time away increases, so does the dogs' excitement. This research shows that dogs are capable of recognizing and responding to different spans of time.

Three: Other research shows that it’s possible that dogs judge time in such detail by the decay of smells in their environment. A dog's sense of smell can be up to 100,000 times better than humans. Dogs may associate time with specific smells, so if you usually leave at 7:00 am and come home at 5:00 pm, your dog knows when your personal scent is 10 hours old and knows it’s time to sit by the door, waiting for some love. Want to see this theory tested out? Check out BBC's video experiment here.

While seconds, minutes, and hours are abstract concepts created by humans, it is clear that dogs are aware of the passage of time. Does your dog always know when it's time to eat or go for a walk? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Animal Planet & BarkPost

Is Your Pet Right-Pawed or Left-Pawed?

Just like humans and their hands, many pets have a certain paw they prefer over the other. According to a recent study, 50% of cats are right pawed,  40% favor their left paw and 10% of them are ambidextrous, favoring neither! 

Dogs, on the other hand, tend to be more evenly split with around 50% being left-pawed and 50% being right-pawed, with a statistically insignificant number being ambidextrous.

In addition, there seems to be a connection between your pet's gender and which paw is dominant. Specifically, female cats and dogs typically will have a dominant right paw, while males tend to favor the left. However, if your pet has been spayed or neutered at an early age, this distinction may go away.

So, is your pet right-pawed, left-pawed or ambidextrous? Here are a few simple tests to find out:

• If you teach your dog to shake, which paw do they offer you first and most often?
• If your dog or cat is playing on their back and you put your hand just out of their reach, which paw do they reach for your hand with?
• Fill a toy with something delicious and put it in the center of your dog’s visual field. Which paw does it use to touch the toy first? Which paw does your dog use to hold the toy?
• Put something sticky on your dog or cat’s nose. Which paw do they use to remove it?
• Place a treat or a piece of cheese under a sofa, just beyond your dog or cat’s reach. Which paw do they use to try and get it out?
• If your pet wants to get inside or into a room you’re in, which paw do they typically use to scratch at the door?
• Dangle a toy over your cat’s head. Which paw lifts to swat at it?
• Put a treat under a bowl. Which paw does your cat or dog use to move it?

Note which paw is used and once you've done several dozen (at least) tests, a clear dominant paw should emerge. If you've done 100-200 tests and there is no noticeable paw preference, your pet is probably ambidextrous.

Source: PetMD