How Time Ticks

We skipped sharing a post last week, to ensure we had time to do ample research for this week’s topic. We wanted to take a deeper dive into how time works for dogs.

We mentioned it quickly in one of our recent posts, that dogs only live in the present moment. But we wanted to really understand what that means and how dogs understand time.

It’s an interesting concept to think that they can’t tell time like we do, but they have a schedule within their own world that they somehow follow. They know exactly when it’s time for you to wake up…and definitely know when it’s time for you to feed them.

Although their increasing hunger and growling bellies help them understand time, there’s actually much more going on that helps them accurately predict events.

Let’s dive right into to understand the concept of how dog’s perceive time.

Researchers have found that when dogs are waiting for an expected outcome, certain neurons are activated in their brains. In the brain’s temporal lobe, spatial memory is encoded, which is memory that records information about their environment. These researchers have discovered that this area is likely where the brain encodes time for animals as well.

Studies have been conducted on mice to conclude this phenomenon, and based on the research it is believed that this same discovery is possible for dogs as well.

Researchers have used mice that are running on a treadmill, in a virtual environment. During the test, the mice reach a virtual closed door. The floor at this door is textured and after 6 seconds, it opens and the mice can continue to the point where they receive a reward. After conducting this same run several times, researches removed the virtual door to see how the mice would react. At the textured area where the door was, the mice stopped and waited exactly 6 seconds before continuing on…even though there was nothing in their way to stop them from proceeding.

This replicates how training and routine have an impact on animals. When dogs are in a consistent routine,  their brains expect and anticipate certain outcomes, which result in their neurons “telling time”. This is not to say that they can judge time, but by keeping the same routine they are being trained to track the amount of time that has passed.

For example, if you wake up everyday at 7:00 AM, feed your dog, send them to daycare from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, feed them at 6:00 PM and go to bed at 10:00 PM…then they’re trained to expect those same behaviors…these behaviors and habits train their neurons and help them understand and recognize time.

Another way dog’s have learned to tell time is by their sense of smell.

Unlike humans, dogs have two separate pathlines that air travels as they breathe in. There’s an olfactory path (to smell) and a respiratory pathway (to breathe).

Their nose consists of up to 300 million receptors (compared to our roughly 6 million) and the part of their brain that is devoted to analyzing smells is proportionately 40 times greater than ours.

In addition to this, dogs have a second olfactory system that is located in their nose. The vomeronasal organ is located in the bottom of their nasal passage and allows them to pick up pheromones, chemicals and other animal specific readings (like if the dog that just peed in the park is ready to mate or if they’re spayed/neutered).

This is what allows dogs to detect drugs, find missing people and even helps them recognize every ingredient in your dinner.

Needless to say – dogs can smell REALLY well…and this great sense of smell actually aids them in telling time.

Dog’s live in the present moment, but use other ques to predict the world around them.

When you wake up in the morning, you have a certain scent – and whether it may be good or not, you dog knows that’s your “wake up scent”.

As your morning continues, you may take a shower, dry your hair…and get yourself ready before it’s time to leave for work.

All of these actions you take, create different smell patterns that your dog recognizes and remembers.

Even though you cant smell these scents (hopefully), they can.

The scent that you left the house with, slowly diminishes throughout the day and creates patterns for your dog to recognize. This helps them identify when you leave and when you’re expected to arrive home. They are actually able to track the changing degree of odors. Whether it’s the smell of the air heating up and cooling down, or the scent of the counter cleaner wearing off…they smell it all.

To better explain, here is an example:

Say you leave your house and to your dog, your scent is at 100%. When that scent fades to about 60%, the mailman shows up and leaves the mail. His scent is now at 100% and yours is at 60%.

When you come home, the mailman’s scent is usually at about 50% and yours is at roughly 30%. They also know that the smell of the humid air has lessened, which means it’s almost time for them to eat. They recognize certain scents and patterns which helps them create a timeline of when to expect different things throughout their day.

Though, I doubt they do that type of math…

The conjunction of their daily routines, habits and scent patterns have given them a sophisticated way to track time.

Pretty unbelievable for an animal who only lives in the present moment!

This does make me curious though as to why Ivy always has my shoes. Maybe as my scent diminishes throughout the day, she has to remind herself of me…

She is a clingy girl…

If there are any other dog topics you’d like us to dive into, send us a message or comment below! We’d love to research new topics and provide educational posts for our readers!

Thank you to the following for sharing this information with us:

• https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/can-dogs-tell-time-yes-and-no/
• https://psychology.wikia.org/wiki/Spatial_memory
• https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/dogs-sense-of-smell/
• https://thebark.com/content/dogs-smell-passage-time

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