The impact of Daylight Saving Time on dog activity

Abstract

While most studies on Daylight Saving Time (DST) focus on human sleep and well-being, there is a dearth of understanding of how this sudden, human-mitigated change affects the routines of companion animals. The objective of this study was to assess how DST influenced the morning activity pattern of dogs (Canis familiaris). We used accelerometers to record activity in 25 sled dogs and 29 caregiver-companion dog dyads located in or near Ontario, Canada during the Fall Back time shift. We looked at morning onset activity based on sunrise time (both groups), handler arrival time (sled dogs), and caregiver Got-up Time (companion dogs), and compared pre-DST measures with the three days following DST. We found that sled dogs were less active around sunrise in all post-DST days compared to pre-DST, as sunrise coincided with handler arrival time before DST but not after. Companion dogs showed no change in morning activity based on sunrise times before and after DST. On the Sunday of DST, sled dogs were more active before handlers arrived, but their activity returned to pre-DST levels in the following two days. Caregiver and companion dog activities did not change on the day of DST. After DST, caregivers woke up earlier on weekdays, but companion dogs maintained their pre-DST activity patterns. Overall, we found that sled dogs took one day to adjust to a change in handler arrival time yet neither companion dogs nor their caregivers showed any morning activity difference after the Fall Back DST transition. In summary, our findings highlight the importance of flexible routines and gradual changes in helping dogs adjust to abrupt schedule modifications, offering valuable insights for optimizing dog care practices during time shifts.