No one’s a fan of it, but it’s that time of year again, Daylight Savings time! While the one hour shift (either forward or backward) can make humans a little discombobulated, it can affect our dogs too!
There are several ways that the time shift affects our dogs- through sleep and schedule. 
Dogs, just like humans, work off of circadian rhythms. This means that sleep patterns and behaviors are based on daylight/darkness cycles. We wake in the morning when the sun comes up, and we sleep in the evening when the sun goes down. The disruption in the light/dark cycle with the time change, can make dogs lose sleep. Most adult dogs need anywhere between 8-13.5 hours of sleep (and puppies even more at 18-19 hours of sleep). A change in sleeping patterns/disruption can cause changes in your dog’s behavior and things like potty and sleep training. Your dog might be a little more grouchy or reactive as they are tired. Your puppy might have an accident or two, or wake you up too early.
Dogs are very much creatures of habit. They thrive on schedules and routines. When Daylight Savings happens, our schedules get thrown off. Since humans have the concept of time, this is easy for us to adjust to. Studies have shown that our dogs really do not have the concept of time itself (but some studies suggest that dogs do understand the passage of time). For dogs Daylight savings turns their whole schedule upside down, with how abrupt the change in routine is. You may notice that your dog is doing more attention seeking behaviors, like barking at you, insisting to go on a walk or get fed.
So what can we do for dogs to help them adjust? First it’s important to remember that all dogs are different. Some dogs will adjust quickly on their own, or not even bat an eye at the time change. Some dogs will have a difficult time adjusting. The first few days after the time change, watch your dog closely. Are they doing anything out of the ordinary? Acting a little different than they normally would? Based on these observations, you can then take action.
Make sure you keep your dog’s routine as best you can while you adjust to the time change. To help with shifting the hour, break the time schedule into small manageable chunks first. This means that you may only be changing the time schedule by 10 minutes to start (instead of just rushing into an hour change). If there is a way to start the shifts a few days before the actual time change, that is ideal! It can ease the transition into the full hour shift. Over a few days, you can slowly add more time until the full hour is reached.
If your dog is doing more attention seeking behaviors (such as barking at you for their meal) this is where you may need to up your training routine. Making sure to work with your dog at least 5 times a day, 5 minutes each time can not only help keep their training current, but it can tackle any problems that arise due to the time change. Make sure to always use reward based training methods. An added benefit is that your dog will also be tired, which can help them fall asleep! If you are really struggling with behavioral changes due to the time change, reaching out to a trainer for help is a good idea. You don’t want any of those behavioral changes to start to become a habit.
Above all else- have patience! Daylight Savings Time is weird enough for humans, let alone dogs. If you notice your dog acting a little differently, have patience with them. They’re not “acting out”. They’re simply confused on why things have changed all of a sudden. Given the time and understanding, our dogs will be back to all their normal selves in no time (until the time comes to “spring” forward. Seriously- aren’t we done with this yet??!)
