Can Your Vizsla Tell How Long You’ve Been Gone?

There is currently no answer as to whether dogs know that their owners will be away from home for long. Although it is definitely not true that “dogs have no concept of time,” it is also not true that they can understand time in the same way as humans do. 

It cannot be determined for sure if dogs know how long their owners have been away, but they always show signs that perhaps it is possible. These situations occur when you return home after a long day at work, and your dog is already waiting for you very happily at the entrance of your house to welcome you. 

Regarding whether your Vizsla dog can tell how long you’ve been away, here’s what it should know: 

Having Good Memories Helps Your Dog Tell Time 

Most dog owners will tell you that their puppies keep track of day-to-day time very well. They know every day, in a matter of minutes, when it is time to wake up, go out, eat, etc. You may be able to set your watch based on your dog’s ability to keep to the schedule. 

Does That Mean That Vizsla Dogs Can Create Timelines Like Humans Do with Episodic Memories? 

It’s possible. There are many ways that canines can tell time, like most animals, as they are not dependent on episodic memories. 

Right now, it seems like there aren’t many scientific studies on whether dogs can tell the difference between leaving for a day, a week, a month, or a year. 

Rhythm and Patterns 

Most life forms that exist on Earth have circadian rhythms, which are natural biological clocks tied to the length of a day. Dogs rely on this rhythm to know when to eat, sleep and do other necessary activities. 

Vizsla dogs can associate events that have previously occurred that can condition their behavior. For example, your dog understands when you punish it for going to the bathroom inside the house and catch it in the act. 

If you punish your pet even a few seconds later, they probably won’t understand what is wrong. It may even think it has a problem with its urine or stool, but it would not be easy to link its actions to the consequences. 

It is a form of pattern recognition that can help your Vizsla predict the time quite well. Dogs can use pattern recognition in conjunction with their senses to know the time of day. That can happen when your dog daily walks down the stairs to the kitchen for breakfast. 

How Do I Know if My Vizsla Dog Can Tell How Long I Have Been Away from Home? 

Your Vizsla dog can smell your scent when you are at home. When you leave, your scent dissipates a bit, remaining light in the air. If you return home at the same time each day, your pet can anticipate when you are about to walk through the door, depending on the intensity of your scent. 

These dogs can even determine when it is time to eat based on the amount of daylight they see through the window. They recognize the pattern and mark the time accordingly. Vizsla dogs can’t just tell us if they know how long we’ve been away, so professional researchers have conducted experiments to see if dogs can tell time. 

There are some real studies on whether dogs can differentiate between periods. There was an experiment in 2011 by Swedish researchers, who set up hidden cameras that recorded how dogs reacted when their humans were out for half an hour, two hours, and four hours. 

The experiment showed that dogs reacted more enthusiastically when their humans left them alone for two hours than half an hour. That suggests that dogs can, in fact, tell the difference between these times.

However, the dogs did not react differently when their humans left for four hours. In other words, the later the owner gets home, the dogs will wait with much more anxiety and enthusiasm. 

Can Vizsla Dogs Tell the Time You Will Leave and Come Home? 

According to all the studies that have been carried out over the years, it has been determined that dogs can tell the difference between certain periods. 

If you ask multiple Vizsla dog owners if their dog can tell how long he’s been away, most of those owners will tell you that their Vizsla has an idea of ​​how long it’s been since he left. 

Dog owners whose puppies suffer from separation anxiety may tell you that their canine reacts very differently based on the exact number of hours they have been away. 

These types of dogs that suffer from loneliness can react in this way: 

• During the first hour after its owner has left the house, the Vizsla dog may begin to feel nervous. 
• During the second hour after its owner has left the house, it is likely that it has an incident such as peeing or pooping inside the house. 

• During the third hour after its owner has left the house, perhaps the Vizsla dog has started breaking furniture in the living room. 

Successively several events will occur during the absence of the Vizsla owner. It is not something you should worry about, as this behavior in this breed is normal.

Mainly, that is because they are Velcro dogs that want to be accompanied by their humans at all times. Therefore, every time their owner comes home, these dogs perceive it and become very excited. 

Vizslas, like other types of dogs, can know when you are approaching home. That is because they have the ability to feel the footsteps of other people or animals. Therefore, every time you come home, you will surely hear the barking of your Vizsla dog from it.