Daylight Savings & Helping Your Dog Deal with Routine Changes

Brought to you by the AKC GoodDog! Helpline – the AKC’s 7-day-a-week training support service
By Hilarie Erb, AKC GoodDog! Helpline Trainer

Fall back, spring forward! It’s almost time to do the latter: the second Sunday of March is the start of daylight savings time! This switch means that dogs everywhere, in their minds at least, get their dinner an hour earlier. They certainly won’t complain about that, but they might need some time to get used to their humans’ abrupt change of schedule.

The change from standard time to daylight savings time makes sense to humans, though both have their fans and detractors. But to our dogs, there is no reason why, all of a sudden, everything happens an hour earlier. Left to their own devices, dogs are more in sync with when the sun rises and sets and are not interested in our schedules. They are creatures of habit and feel most secure when they have a routine and things happen when they are expected to happen.

Things happening an hour early isn’t usually a problem for dogs, but the “fall back” part is another story. Suddenly everything is an hour later — especially dinner and their people coming home from work and school. If the switch back to standard time seems stressful for your dog, you might try adjusting the schedule by 30 minutes the first week, then the remaining 30 minutes the next week. After that, everything should feel normal again!

Big changes in routine, like additional exercise, bringing a new pet into the family, or a change in an owner’s work schedule should be introduced gradually. But the switch to daylight savings time is usually not hard for dogs, and the best way to help them adjust to the time change is to just do everything at the same time. It may take a week or so to get used to it, but most dogs take it in stride. Another walk in the evening, using that “extra” hour, will help and certainly be welcomed by your best friend!

Try to keep bedtime the same because losing an hour of sleep doesn’t make it easier to get up when it’s still dark outside! And be patient if your dog needs a little more time to take care of business in the morning. Be sure to also keep mealtimes around the same time to help your pet with consistency.

For many of us getting up an hour early, before the sun, isn’t fun. But dogs don’t mind, and the longer days mean more time to do fun things with them!

For more tips and advice on training your dog, join the AKC GoodDog! Helpline, a seven-day-a-week telephone support service staffed by experienced dog trainers: www.akcgooddoghelpline.org.