View of small cute Yorkshire Terrier with sleeping boy on white sofa and clock on the wall

Daylight savings time can be very confusing to animals according to scientists like Alison Holdhus-Small, a

research assistant at CSIRO Livestock Industries, an Australia-based research and development organization.

Daylight savings time means scheduled activities are set back one full hour in autumn (we “fall back” an hour in the fall) or forward one full hour in spring, (“spring forward one hour in the spring”) – including the set times we may feed our dogs or give them medications.

Pets and even farm animals – live their lives based on our routines, and they have their own internal clocks that tell them it’s nearly time for food or a walk.  When we suddenly change that  on them, it can be very confusing.

As expert Ceasar Millan points out, when it comes to the time change for animals, “confusion may not be the right word. More like, anxiety.”

If you leave food out all day for your Morkie, mealtime isn’t a big challenge. But if you feed at a particular time, start adjusting gradually – in 15 minute increments – until your Morkie has caught up.

Example: Breakfast time is 8:00 a.m.

After the fall daylight savings change, your Morkie will expect his food at 7:00 a.m.  Don’t make him wait an extra hour for food. Instead, feed him at “new time 7:15” for a few days.  Then move to 7:30, 7:45 and finally 8:00 a.m.

In the spring, when we lose that extra hour, just do the opposite. Don’t feed your Morkie too early because he’s not expecting it.

Don’t forget MEDICATIONS when you’re adjusting times

Other routines are affected too

Walks, potty breaks, treat time and lots more is affected by the time changes, so be patient – it takes us all a little while to adjust… then it’s time to change again!