Help Your Dog Adjust To Daylight Savings Time - Keep a Regular Schedule

Does daylight savings time cause turmoil in your pets schedule? I find that the first day after the clocks have been adjusted causes confusion on behalf of the dogs. We may hardly notice the additional hour of daylight but for a dog with a keen sense of the world around them this is a significant change that they do not understand.

To help your dog adjust to the change:

• Don't let the extra daylight change your dog's meal time. If their meal times will be altered because of the change adjust gradually. If mealtime will be later, make the change over time by adjusting in small increments over a period of a few days.
• With daylight stretching further into the evening it is tempting to walk your dog later in the day. Keep in mind that dogs don't need to read a clock to know what time it is.  They will expect to go out at the same time even though the daylight hours have changed. Change is fine, just make the change gradually.
• Early in daylight savings time the sun will be rising later.  This does not mean that your dog will want to wait the additional hour for the sun to come up before going to do their business.  Prevent morning accidents and adjust to the change gradually by a few minutes a day.

In addition to the time change, you will see changes in your dog as well.  Spring brings warmer weather and this is the time when your dog will begin to shed their winter coat.  This is especially true for double coated dogs that have both a thick undercoat with a top coat of long hair.  Brush your dog often to help keep the shedding under control.

Shelties have a double coat that they will begin
to shed as the warm weather arrives.

With a little extra help and understanding your pup will quickly adjust to this change and ready to enjoy the beautiful spring days with extra time for walks and playtime.