Do Dogs Understand Time?

Our dogs are very smart, evolved pets and we think of them as almost human. After all, they know when they are going to be fed, when they go on their daily walk and when you return home each day.  Therefore, it seems easy to conclude that dogs have an accurate sense of time.

However, do our beloved pups really know what time it is or is there something else that helps them track time?

How Dogs Perceive Time

Dogs don’t perceive time the way humans do. While we use clocks, calendars, and dates to track time, dogs rely on their internal rhythms and environmental cues to navigate their daily routines. Rather than understanding time in a linear sense, dogs experience time as patterns of events. For instance, they recognize changes in light, temperatur, and household activity to anticipate what’s coming next.

Dogs Understand Time by Events and Training

We humans use episodic memory in order to understand and recall past events and think about future ones. But dogs don’t perceive time this way. Dogs have the ability to be trained on events that have already occurred as well as anticipate events in the future based on these past experiences. 

Dogs can distinguish how much time has passed since something has occurred; for instance, time for another meal since my food bowl has been empty for a few hours. But, of course, hunger can come into play here too. 

Biological Clocks and Circadian Rhythms

Dogs, like all animals, have circadian rhythms—biological processes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle. These internal clocks help dogs predict daily activities, such as when to eat, sleep, and exercise. These rhythms are influenced by daylight and darkness, so a dog might naturally become more alert when the sun rises and begin to settle down as evening falls. This doesn’t mean they “know” the time, but they have a strong sense of routine based on these cycles.

Dogs Use Their Scent to Understand Time

One interesting theory is that dogs may have a unique way of perceiving time through scent. Unlike humans, who rely heavily on sight and sound, dogs have an extraordinary sense of smell. Some experts believe that dogs can smell the passage of time based on how scents fade over time.

For example, your scent might be strongest when you’ve just left the house, and it weakens as the hours pass. This could explain why dogs often seem to know when their owners are coming home, as they can detect the gradual fading of familiar scents.

Dogs Are Driven by Routine and Conditioning

Dogs are creatures of habit, and their understanding of time is largely driven by routine. If your dog always gets fed at 7 a.m., they will learn to anticipate that event. However, this isn’t an understanding of “7 a.m.” as we know it—it’s more a learned association based on cues like the sound of an alarm, the rising sun, or your morning activities. Over time, dogs become conditioned to expect certain events at specific times, creating the illusion that they understand time.

Dogs Can Pick Up Our Social Cues to Understand Time.

Dogs tend to pick up on our body language to know when they are going to be fed or taken on a walk. When you look toward the front door or look to a certain closet where your dog’s leash is hanging, your dog knows that’s time for a walk. When you open the fridge in the morning or a certain cabinet, your dog probably senses that it’s time to eat! In this way, our dogs can sense time in our certain habits and what we do before we feed, walk and/or play with them.

Do Dogs Miss Us When We’re Gone?

One of the most emotional aspects of dog ownership is wondering whether our dogs miss us when we leave. Research suggests that dogs do experience separation anxiety, especially when left alone for extended periods. However, whether they understand how long we’ve been gone is still up for debate.

Some studies indicate that dogs may react differently depending on whether their owners have been gone for a short time (like 30 minutes) versus a long time (like two hours), showing more excitement after longer absences. While this doesn't prove they understand time as we do, it suggests they may have a sense of duration.

While dogs don’t perceive time in the same way humans do, they have an incredible ability to pick up on patterns, routines, and environmental cues that help them navigate their days. Their internal rhythms, coupled with their extraordinary sense of smell and capacity for conditioning, enable them to appear as though they understand time.

So, the next time your dog seems to know it’s time for a walk, just remember—it’s not a clock they’re watching, but the many subtle signs that you and their world provides.