It’s not unknown that a dog’s primary sense-organ would have to be the nose. Sure, they can see the world and it isn’t in just black and white as some would lead you to believe. Studies have shown that a dog engages the world around him or her by smells. Apparently, this also gives them a sense of time as well.
According to a study done at the Dog Cognition Lab of Barnard College, a dog’s sense of smell can tell them what time of day it is. Alexandra Horowitz, founder of the lab, has written a new book called “Being a Dog” which was recently released. The idea of how a dog understands the concept of time is laid out within.
“As each day wears a new smell, its hours mark changes in odors that your dog can notice,” she writes. “Dogs smell time.”
The complexity of a dog’s nose, and even the length of it can change how a dog perceives things. As a day goes on, heat rises up to the top of a room, usually up the walls, and cycles back down through the center. As this happens, changes in air density and heat create changes in smell. We as humans don’t always pick up on the minute changes, but your dog sure does.
So, your dog maybe doesn’t need that fancy, doggy-Apple Watch or a new iPhone to help him or her tell time. They already know just by the smells in the room. It totally makes sense if you think about it. Your dog knows almost everything else by sense of smell, so why not time, too?!
