Topic is Sleeping.
Superesse (original poster member #60731) posted at 1:05 PM on Monday, November 6th, 2023
So our 2 German Shepherd always get out of whack when the time changes. Daylight Savings Time just ended and my morning peace is being trampled on by a starving 75 pound pup whose breakfast is an hour late he says. In the evening they notice it's getting dark so they assume it's dinner time but it's not for another hour, baby dogs...they get vocal about that, too! Play time outside is also hard in the dark. Poor doggos.
Have you found your pets struggle with the time change?
tushnurse ( member #21101) posted at 1:15 PM on Monday, November 6th, 2023
Yup i started pushing meals back last week so it isn't as big of deal but yah we were all up and ready to start the day an hour early yesterday and this morning our fix for that is to go to bed early too. Eventually (hopefully by the end of the week) we will be back on track.
Me: FBSHim: FWSKids: 23 & 27 Married for 32 years now, was 16 at the time.D-Day Sept 26 2008R'd in about 2 years. Old Vet now.
Superesse (original poster member #60731) posted at 1:40 PM on Monday, November 6th, 2023
Ah, Tushnurse, I wonder why we didn't think to anticipate their needs like you did, especially with the puppy. I feel like a bad mommy. I suppose I was frantically trying to get my outdoor work wrapped up with the good weather we had and didn't want to knock off earlier.
Last night we did go to bed early and this morning, I only got whined at by 06:30, the puppy's usual routine. But he started fussing for his breakfast immediately after his walk. Then banged his bowl around and said he could eat more. That might be a separate issue!
SackOfSorry ( member #83195) posted at 4:11 PM on Monday, November 6th, 2023
Fortunately in a way, I recently changed my work hours and am going in an hour later than I used to. Consequently, the dogs started being fed an hour later than I used to feed them, but I only work 4 days a week and I left them at their normal time on my days off. I am normally all about routines, but tbh, I kind of like now that they are not knowing exactly what to expect, and it made this weekend a little easier since the mornings are now a question mark to them. For dinner time, I usually just change it by 30 minutes for a couple of days to help them get used to a new time.
I saw a meme with a couple of dogs "talking" to one another. The one is saying This is BS, give me my dinner!"
Me - BW
DDay - May 4, 2013
And nothing's quite as sure as change. (The Mamas and the Papas)
annb ( member #22386) posted at 12:50 AM on Tuesday, November 7th, 2023
Yep! I have a rescue German Shepherd. She usually gets up early (I do, too), but up by 4:30 Sunday morning and this morning.
Breakfast she doesn't really notice the time change, but dinner time she's staring at me an hour early.
I spend a great deal of time outside with her because the spoiled thing she is won't stay outside by herself. It started with me enjoying my morning coffee with her every morning so now she refuses to stay outside for more than five minutes without me. We have to squeeze our outside time into fewer hours, plus the weather is changing so there's limited warm daytime hours. I'd usually sit with her after dinner in the yard and read while she just chilled.
Our entire evening routine has to change, she eats dinner around 4ish and goes outside for 15-20 minutes or so before it's dark by 5.
I really hate the time change, not only for my dog but because I'm pretty much ready for bed after dinner.
Superesse (original poster member #60731) posted at 2:20 AM on Tuesday, November 7th, 2023
Annb, yep, you're living life with a German Shepherd!! I am not sure other breeds are this OCD about times?
Our female GSD has always been nice and easy about breakfast. In fact, she needed to be coaxed to eat for the first year of her life (hormonal issues). But buddy, look OUT at dinner time, if we weren't dishing it up to suit her, HaHa!!
Now the boy pup, at almost 8 months, is in the typical teenager stage with "hollow legs" who wants to eat AM, Noon, and PM!!! And like yours, this sweetie pie won't happily play by himself out there in the fenced paddock we put up for His Magnificence. He may run around for a few minutes, but then he just sits by the gate and waits forlornly for someone to come out and at least watch him play with his Jolly Ball, or sumptin!? Mommy? Touches my heart.
We wore him out tonight though, he had an evening group lesson in an indoor arena with lots of barky dogs. Ate tons of treats during training, ate his usual dinner back at home, then we heard him playing with his chew bone while we had a lite dinner, both of us exhausted from it all, and then I noticed it got all quiet in the other room. I will need to wake him up now and walk him for the last time. Maybe that will buy me more time in the morning...
DragnHeart ( member #32122) posted at 9:44 PM on Tuesday, November 7th, 2023
Dd's cat was a bit more naggy and the big dog (maramma sp? Breed/mix) was too.
The bulldog. She sleeps in late in the mornings. I usually have to wake her up to go out and when I put her food out she will ignore it for a bit or until the cat goes to check it out. She didn't notice the time change at all lol. Probably happy to get an extra hour to sleep without being bugged.
Dinner time was a bit different. She doesn't do much other than stare at her food bowl or sit and stare at one of us so it wasn't a huge issue.
Everyone is into the swing of things now so it's all good.
Me: BS 46 WH: 37 (BrokenHeart911)Four little dragons. Met 2006. Married 2008. Dday of LTPA with co worker October 19th 2010. Knew about EA with ow1 before that. Now up to PA #5. Serial fucking Cheater.
tushnurse ( member #21101) posted at 11:45 PM on Wednesday, November 8th, 2023
So I did good adjusting feedingntimes but that hasn't stopped my 2 from saying its time to go play at 3 normally 4 and I have to work until 4 so its been a challenging few days and it's been crazy hot so we have spent lots of time playing fetch to wear them out.
Oh and we have been getting up an hour early too. My fix to that is go to bed earlier.
Me: FBSHim: FWSKids: 23 & 27 Married for 32 years now, was 16 at the time.D-Day Sept 26 2008R'd in about 2 years. Old Vet now.
Tanner ( Guide #72235) posted at 5:34 AM on Thursday, November 9th, 2023
I see alot of friends on SM saying stop changing the time it's dark too early. Problem is this is now standard time (the norm) and a big reason we like daylight savings time.
Dday Sept 7 2019 doing well in R BH M 32 years
Superesse (original poster member #60731) posted at 3:36 PM on Saturday, November 11th, 2023
How's everybody adapting? I think we're almost adjusted now, even though a friend who shows French Briard shepherds said yesterday that his dogs are still asking him to go out for their evening walks exactly one hour earlier.
Dogs don't do manmade time changes, but they sure tell time by the sun.
DragnHeart ( member #32122) posted at 7:50 PM on Saturday, November 11th, 2023
I see alot of friends on SM saying stop changing the time it's dark too early. Problem is this is now standard time (the norm) and a big reason we like daylight savings time.
While I don't like it getting dark at 5pm I sure prefer that over taking dd out to the bus in the dark at 7am.
The inside animals are all ok now. Cat doesn't seem to mind being fed an hour later.
Now the horses....well they've been grazing all summer and I just got my hay delivery so they didn't notice at all. Of course when I came out this morning they were all right behind their shelter grazing as usual with only one at the fence waiting for me. She wanted her hay lol.
Once I filled the feeder the other 2 came over. Despite the cold, the grass is still very green and most of the day I find them in the lower field grazing, ignoring their hay. Actually their in the field now grazing.
Me: BS 46 WH: 37 (BrokenHeart911)Four little dragons. Met 2006. Married 2008. Dday of LTPA with co worker October 19th 2010. Knew about EA with ow1 before that. Now up to PA #5. Serial fucking Cheater.
Topic is Sleeping.