How Daylight Savings Affects Our Dogs

Daylight Saving Time is something that affects everyone’s lives, and it takes a little while until you can get used to your days being longer. For people, it’s just an opportunity to sleep a little longer.

But dogs don’t use alarm clocks to wake up. They use a biological clock based on circadian rhythm. This clock lets them know when they need to eat, sleep, and do just about anything else. So, Daylight Saving Time affects dogs way more than they affect people.

Dogs are used to going potty first thing in the morning. They need a routine. So when you sleep in for an extra hour, your puppy might get confused and not understand why you are late to take them outside. The same goes for food. If their stomachs are used to getting food at exact times, having those hours delayed can upset your dog’s stomach.

And they might even chew things they shouldn’t while they’re waiting to get their food. And Daylight Saving Time also affects your dog on an emotional level. When you lose that hour because you sleep more, your dog loses precious time they could spend with you. And they already miss you enough when you are busy, so when you get home one hour later than you’re supposed to, that can only stress them out.

The best thing you can do is start preparing your dog for this change in advance. Push his meals and potty time by a couple of minutes every day, starting a few weeks before the hour changes. This way, when the change happens, your dog won’t feel it.