[Dailydrool] Telling time

[Valerie]

i read the same article that Sherry's husband read. It was awhile ago, so my recall of the details is fuzzy, but it was interesting. there was an experiment in it. a dog always went to the door at just about the time the husband arrived home from work. the experimenter thought that the dog was telling time based on how strong the odor of the owner was in the air. In the morning it was quite strong, and then through the day it became more diluted and less strong. the experimenter thought that when the odor was a specific concentration in the air, that signaled the imminent return of the owner. As I recollect, the experimenter tested his hypothesis by having the owner sneak home and hang out in the middle of the day unbeknownst to the dog, thereby boosting the concentration of his odor way up. sure enough, that day the dog's timing was thrown off.

Watching my dogs, I think they are keyed into sounds to tell time. the neighbor to the right leaves on a motorcycle at 7:25, the mail truck goes by at 2 PM, the neighbor on the left's car pulls into their driveway between 3 and 4PM. but I could be wrong.