What does 2 hours feel like for a dog?
Curt Bartoletti
2025-07-15 00:38:43
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: 14
If the dogs had been left alone for 2 or 4 hours they greeted their owners with more ‘intensity,’ and were more active and attentive, than when the duration of separation had only been 30 minutes. However, there was no statistical significance between the dogs behavior if left alone for 2 or 4 hours. One is that the dogs perceived a separation of 2-4 hours as not being particularly different, but very much different from a 30 minute separation. My observations, which are just anecdotes, are that Willie’s greeting behavior varies tremendously based on how long we have been away. When we returned from New Zealand, after being gone for 3 weeks, he ran between Jim and I, whining endearingly, flipping in circles, licking our faces raw . . . a very, much more intense greeting than if one of us had been gone for a day or two. Do you observe that your dog greets you differently when you’ve been gone longer?
George Wuckert
2025-07-03 14:31:46
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: 18
Time perception is being looked at more closely. As mentioned previously, animals perceive time at different speeds—meaning they experience a sequence of events at different rates based on their metabolism. Dogs have a higher metabolism than humans, and thus experience time more slowly. Our 60 minutes translates to about 75 minutes for them. But when studied, more greeting behaviors were observed upon the owner’s return from an absence greater than two hours. They can’t tell how many hours, days, or weeks you have been absent. But they can sense the passage of time through many mechanisms while you are gone. Because dogs tend to focus on the current moment, it could be a case of you either being there or not. Some dogs seem just as excited to see us after a short departure as with a longer departure.
Zoe Schiller
2025-06-26 02:56:00
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: 13
It’s not a yes or no question. How long your dog can stay home alone completely depends on your dog, their age, and their physical and emotional needs. Your dog’s physical needs and what they’re used to determines how long they can stay home alone. Your dog’s emotional needs Is your dog active or are they a couch potato. How long your dog can stay home alone also depends on what daily exercise and interaction they need from you. Maybe they like the long hours to curl up on your bed while you’re out of the house. Or maybe they need daily two-mile walks and safe toys to mouth. Dogs are social and typically prefer to be with others. Some may always struggle with being alone.
Stewart Hodkiewicz
2025-06-26 01:45:49
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: 14
Some believe dogs can’t tell how much time has passed: one minute of a thorn in the paw may feel like an eternity, or 10 minutes extra waiting for food might feel as long as 10 hours. A 2011 study suggests that dogs can distinguish between different lengths of time. The subjects were filmed and had their heart rates monitored while they were left at home alone for periods of 30 minutes, 2 hours and 4 hours. The dogs that were left alone for longer periods of time greeted their owners more enthusiastically when they got home. If dogs can measure time in a general sense, the way they perceive 2 hours is likely to be different from humans, as they greeted their owners more enthusiastically after being left alone for 2 hours compared to 30 minutes.
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