I was up a good two hours before sunrise tending to 12 horses before I went into work at my pilates studio today.
When I got home I took the dogs for a one-hour hike then back to the barn for night chores. Once back in the house I answered a few dog training emails and when I finally dragged my weary bones into bed it was near 10: 30 p.m.
Piper was on my side of the bed, keeping it warm for me and Zumi was on her bed situated at the bedroom door where she likes it, always on guard.
Shutting off the light was like shutting out the world as I closed my eyes waiting for the groggy feeling of sleep to take over when all of a sudden Piper bolted from the bedroom and ran downstairs.
This, of course, sends a lighting bolt of anxiety through one's body, instantly waking them into an upright sitting position as to better audibly assess the situation as one half expects to hear either a) the sound of an impending vomit, or b) the frenetic pawing at the door demanding to go out immediately due to a sudden bout of explosive diarrhea.
Instead I hear Piper trot back into the darkness of the bedroom, plunk himself down on his bed and begin to eat a bone.
Now here I sit, wide awake writing my column at 12: 30 a.m. while Piper enjoys a midnight snack.
Dogs have no concept of time.
Or do they?
I have often pondered that because dogs, who are creatures of the present, should not, in theory, have any association with time.
The concept of the past, present or future has no meaning to them. Yet I see them, throughout the day, displaying behaviours that seem to say that they are fully aware of the time of day.
For example, some days I take the dogs out for a morning hike and when we get home I feed them an earlier meal. Yet when their usual mealtime comes around at 3 p.m., Piper begins the big stare. He sits down in front of wherever I am and stares at me. His belly may still be full from the earlier meal but when 3 p.m. arrives, he is expecting dinner again.
Does this mean that he and all dogs are able to tell the time like humans do?
Well, sort of. As humans, we have two important abilities that help us to understand time. Firstly, we are able to remember a sequence of events and secondly, we are able to anticipate future needs or events.
In trying to understand how a dog conceives time, humans must lay reference to their own concept of time. Humans have a unique time measuring tool called episodic memory that we use to travel through time, which means we have the ability to tell time by recalling past events and looking forward to future ones.
Studies show that animals may have these same abilities but to a lesser extent.
To a degree, dogs are also capable of remembering sequences of events since dogs are capable of being trained to anticipate future events based on past events.
The big difference between the humans and dogs in relation to telling time is that humans can determine when an event happened by linking it to other events.
For example, we remember our vacation as well as the hotel we stayed at, food we enjoyed, the warmth of the sun, etc. Dogs, on the other hand, can only distinguish how much time has passed since an event has occurred such as the time that has lapsed since their last meal.
So Fido doesn't need a wrist watch, but thanks to Piper, I might need another alarm clock!
Joan Klucha has been working with dogs for over 15 years in obedience, tracking and behavioural rehabilitation. Contact her at k9kinship.com.
