Every day at precisely the same time, my dog will wake me up so we can go for a stroll. Then, every day at the same hour at night, to request meals. What other people’s dogs do this to? She seems to have an internal clock because she is accurate to within about one minute. I’m in complete awe.
I studied circadian rhythm biology in grad school, so I can tell you that animals’ internal clocks can be incredibly precise. You’ve probably heard of the circadian clock that syncs with sunlight, which is why birds wake up pre-dawn, even before it gets light out. This clock also drives seasonal changes, like animals shedding their coats as the days shorten in preparation for winter. Interestingly, an animal’s internal clock continues to “tick” even in complete darkness for extended periods.
But light isn’t the only thing that can set an animal’s internal clock—food is a powerful cue as well. Experiments have shown that food influences the internal clock much like sunlight does. This concept also applies to other stimuli, which is why some people find themselves waking up just before their alarm goes off.
As others have mentioned, there are studies suggesting that dogs may use their sense of smell to “tell time,” but I’m less familiar with that aspect.
I can assist with the last point: research indicates that scent molecules’ half-life and degradation play a role in dogs’ ability to recognize when their owners return from work.
I haven’t heard anything as cool as that in a long time. Dogs have incredibly amazing senses of smell and how to interpret them.
My dog in high school always knew I would be home from school ten minutes before I pulled into the driveway; he would always be waiting at the front door at the same time every day. I’m not sure if this was due to smell recognition or something else.
At the bus stop, my childhood dog was always there to greet me. She was not permitted to walk on the road, but occasionally she saw an opportunity to board the bus before I could get off if it pulled over slightly onto the grass. She always made me feel bad, but in retrospect, I see that she made a lot of youngsters who were stuck on a tedious bus route happy.
That really is very adorable! I can totally relate to those youngsters since I get excited whenever I see a dog on a train here in New York City.
I appreciate your thorough response.