Bring on British Summer Time! We can safely say that we’re all ready for the longer (and hopefully) warmer days when the clocks spring forward this weekend. But what about your dog?
Do your spirits lift when the clocks spring forward?
Mine certainly do. I love the lighter evenings.
I find it very easy to adjust. My trick is to change all the clocks before I go to bed so I go to sleep in the new time, as it were, then I’m fine. I do the same if I’m ever travelling across time zones – I vaguely remember that lifetime – and I’ve managed to avoid jet lag too.
But Himself always struggles to adjust to the new time. He is a creature of habit, having a strict daily routine and liking his meals at set times each day. For a few days after the clocks change, I’ll see him frown at his watch and check the clock, before looking at me accusingly as if I’ve deliberately moved the time-space continuum just to annoy him.
Does your dog prefer a strict daily routine?
Gus copes well, probably because we don’t have a particularly rigid schedule for getting up, going to bed, walks and meals. I’m just not that organised.
But just like Himself, some dogs struggle to adjust to the new time. Clocks changing disrupts daily schedules, which can be stressful and make some pets anxious. Lighten evenings mean humans go out and about more, which can be difficult for dogs who suffer from separation anxiety.
There are benefits too, such as being able to go outside more. However, Spring also brings dangers, such as bee and wasp stings, poisoning from slug and snail pellets and newly sprouting poisonous plants, and also heat stroke from the odd sudden increases in temperature we often get at this time of year.
What can you do to help your dog adjust to Summer clocks?
So here’s a few tips to help them.
- Gradually move your getting up time by ten minutes earlier each day between now and Sunday, when you can revert to your usual, but new, time.
- Do the same with bedtimes, bring them forward by ten minutes each day until Sunday.
- If you feed at specific times, bring them forward each day by ten minutes, too.
- Adjust any medication schedules in the same way
- Finally, a good evening sniff walk will help tire your dog ready for going to sleep those ten minutes earlier.
And if you need help teaching your dog about sniff walks and general manners, or making their recall reliable, we have Perfect Pet and Reliable Recall courses starting just after Easter.
Bring on those lighter evenings!
Keep training and stay safe,
Carol
