Time
Time was devised by man. Thus many people are of the opinion that animals do not have any sense of time. I have seen far too many incidences of animals understanding the passage of time to go along with that. Of course they don't look at the clock and think " Hmm-
it's 5:30 so where is my supper?" But somehow a dog knows when it is time for the filled supper bowl to appear.
Growing up on a dairy farm I learned that the animals were cared for before we ate. So my Dad was up every morning--no sleeping in on the weekend--at 4am to feed and milk the cows. In summer when the cows were out in the pasture over night, often in a field far from the barn, they always showed up at the barn door at milking time.
Once in a while if those cows were enjoying a nice summer day they might be a bit slower coming up for the evening milking and Dad would stand at the back door and call "Co' boss". Every last cow looked up and headed to the barn immediately. But those cows did certainly have a sense of time.
If you own a horse you know for sure they know what time of day it is. Whinnying at the pasture gate, stomping in the barn. If you own more than one horse you know they are used to the order in which you bring the feed bucket.Who gets fed first-who next etc. And that is, in a way, a sense of timing.
Dogs who spend the day alone are always aware of when it is time
to watch at the window or stand at the door waiting to greet you.
They have not been there all day --likely only a few minutes before your arrival.
When my daughter, Meg, was in grade school she rode the school bus which picked her up and let her off at the end of our driveway.
There was a big tiger tom cat who lived in the barn. Meg had made a special fuss over him and while he would never have made a house cat, he did follow Meg around outside. Many mornings he would walk down the drive and wait with her until she boarded the bus.
Then he would amble back to the barn or wander off into the fields
to do whatever cats do for the day. But no matter the weather, that cat was always waiting at the end of the driveway at precisely
4pm when the bus pulled up.
In our area time changes every Spring and Fall. It takes animals about
one 24 hour period to adjust--much quicker than many people.
So it would seem that the animals, while not aware of time as a number, are keenly aware of time passing.
My old dog, Hannah, does something I find to be amazing. I have only owned her for 2 years and know nothing of her prior life, and
did not train her to do this particular behavior. I believe she learned
it by watching me. What she does is go to her crate in the kitchen and lie down when I say, "naptime" and I go to the bedroom and lie down. It was my habit before Hannah came to lie down for an hour, but not always at the same time of day. Sometimes it would be 1:30 and other days it could be as late as 3:00 depending on what had been going on. Not long after Hannah had seen this ritual, she began coming into the bed room after exactly one hour had passed. She stands at the side of the bed and barks--just one or two loud woofs. I'll bet you are thinking she needs to go out. Not the case, for as soon as she sees that I am up and back in my wheelchair, she returns to her crate and goes back to continue HER nap! This happens daily. You could set a stop watch by her.
Then there is another aspect of time which is very controversial
among dog people. Some say that it is of no difference to a dog whether you are gone for a day, a weekend, or much longer. (providing someone is seeing to their needs.)
When I got my Border Collie, Daisy, she exhibited every indication
of separation anxiety. (and I know that is a very controversial subject.) However, she did some pretty significant damage the first time I left her alone in the house. After I conditioned her to the fact that I was coming back, she was well behaved when "keeping house".
I talked about this in my book, One Dog Night.
Several years later I was hospitalized for over a month. Daisy stayed with my son whom she knew well. When they brought her to visit me in rehab, I anticipated a happy reunion. But Daisy seemed to know I had been away a long time. She acted glad to see me in a very reserved way. Then she lay down next to my son's chair and gave me the cold shoulder. "You left me a long time, and I am miffed." So I feel pretty certain she knew the difference between the time I was away at work and the time that had passed while I was in the hospital.
Once we were back home together again, she was once more my pal.
Daisy was far from unique in this as I have seen and been told of many instances of dogs and cats realizing how much time had passed.
Do they take note of day and night? Have they an ability to count-not as we do, but in a sense of their own?
Anyway, what ever it is,for as long as Hannah is with me, I know one thing for certain--I will never oversleep at nap time.
it's 5:30 so where is my supper?" But somehow a dog knows when it is time for the filled supper bowl to appear.
Growing up on a dairy farm I learned that the animals were cared for before we ate. So my Dad was up every morning--no sleeping in on the weekend--at 4am to feed and milk the cows. In summer when the cows were out in the pasture over night, often in a field far from the barn, they always showed up at the barn door at milking time.
Once in a while if those cows were enjoying a nice summer day they might be a bit slower coming up for the evening milking and Dad would stand at the back door and call "Co' boss". Every last cow looked up and headed to the barn immediately. But those cows did certainly have a sense of time.
If you own a horse you know for sure they know what time of day it is. Whinnying at the pasture gate, stomping in the barn. If you own more than one horse you know they are used to the order in which you bring the feed bucket.Who gets fed first-who next etc. And that is, in a way, a sense of timing.
Dogs who spend the day alone are always aware of when it is time
to watch at the window or stand at the door waiting to greet you.
They have not been there all day --likely only a few minutes before your arrival.
When my daughter, Meg, was in grade school she rode the school bus which picked her up and let her off at the end of our driveway.
There was a big tiger tom cat who lived in the barn. Meg had made a special fuss over him and while he would never have made a house cat, he did follow Meg around outside. Many mornings he would walk down the drive and wait with her until she boarded the bus.
Then he would amble back to the barn or wander off into the fields
to do whatever cats do for the day. But no matter the weather, that cat was always waiting at the end of the driveway at precisely
4pm when the bus pulled up.
In our area time changes every Spring and Fall. It takes animals about
one 24 hour period to adjust--much quicker than many people.
So it would seem that the animals, while not aware of time as a number, are keenly aware of time passing.
My old dog, Hannah, does something I find to be amazing. I have only owned her for 2 years and know nothing of her prior life, and
did not train her to do this particular behavior. I believe she learned
it by watching me. What she does is go to her crate in the kitchen and lie down when I say, "naptime" and I go to the bedroom and lie down. It was my habit before Hannah came to lie down for an hour, but not always at the same time of day. Sometimes it would be 1:30 and other days it could be as late as 3:00 depending on what had been going on. Not long after Hannah had seen this ritual, she began coming into the bed room after exactly one hour had passed. She stands at the side of the bed and barks--just one or two loud woofs. I'll bet you are thinking she needs to go out. Not the case, for as soon as she sees that I am up and back in my wheelchair, she returns to her crate and goes back to continue HER nap! This happens daily. You could set a stop watch by her.
Then there is another aspect of time which is very controversial
among dog people. Some say that it is of no difference to a dog whether you are gone for a day, a weekend, or much longer. (providing someone is seeing to their needs.)
When I got my Border Collie, Daisy, she exhibited every indication
of separation anxiety. (and I know that is a very controversial subject.) However, she did some pretty significant damage the first time I left her alone in the house. After I conditioned her to the fact that I was coming back, she was well behaved when "keeping house".
I talked about this in my book, One Dog Night.
Several years later I was hospitalized for over a month. Daisy stayed with my son whom she knew well. When they brought her to visit me in rehab, I anticipated a happy reunion. But Daisy seemed to know I had been away a long time. She acted glad to see me in a very reserved way. Then she lay down next to my son's chair and gave me the cold shoulder. "You left me a long time, and I am miffed." So I feel pretty certain she knew the difference between the time I was away at work and the time that had passed while I was in the hospital.
Once we were back home together again, she was once more my pal.
Daisy was far from unique in this as I have seen and been told of many instances of dogs and cats realizing how much time had passed.
Do they take note of day and night? Have they an ability to count-not as we do, but in a sense of their own?
Anyway, what ever it is,for as long as Hannah is with me, I know one thing for certain--I will never oversleep at nap time.
Comments
Post a Comment