Here’s How To Prepare Your Dog For The Clocks Changing

The clocks are due to go back later this month, and while that means an extra hour in bed for us humans, our furry friends are not so fussed.

Many pets, especially dogs run on a tight schedule. While of course dogs can’t tell the time, they do have internal body clocks which tell them when it’s time to sleep, eat, and go for a walk. So when the time changes in Spring and Autumn, it can be confusing for them.

If your dog usually eats at 6 pm sharp, they’ll start looking for their food at 5 pm once the clocks change, which can be difficult for both you and your four-legged friend to deal with.

Luckily, time is still on our side for now. We have a couple of weeks until the clocks change meaning we can work at getting our dogs into a different routine between now and then.

While it may seem silly to worry about your pets in the lead-up to the clocks changing, it can actually have a big impact on some animals. It can increase levels of anxiety in them. A disruption to their routine can leave them feeling unsure and unsafe, it can trigger feelings of separation anxiety which can result in their overall health being compromised.

Through small adjustments, you can avoid any upset.

For Sleeping:

For both bedtime and wake-up time, make small adjustments each day in the lead-up. Put your dog to bed 5/10 minutes later each evening and encourage them to get up a little bit later in the mornings too.

For Food and Medicine:

The same method applies to their feeding and medicine schedule. If you have a set dinner and breakfast they begin to push it out by 10 minutes each day/night until they are eating one hour later than usual. This will avoid your dog from becoming irritable if they’re not being fed at their usual time. The same system can be used for their daily walks.

For the dark evenings:

If your dog is home alone sometimes, be sure to take the darker evenings into consideration. Always have a light left on for them if you won’t be home before it gets dark. When you take them for walks consider your route and if they might need an illuminated coat and/or a light-up device attached to them for safety. Dogs are particularly vulnerable to road accidents in the dark so it is important to make sure they’re visible to all road users while out on walks.

• Autumn
• dogs