If you’ve ever watched your dog leap into the windowsill when you pull onto the drive, then you’ll know that they can tell when you’re home – but how?
Despite domesticating dogs and cats over 30,000 years ago, we are still learning new information about them, their behaviors, and their needs. Some tidbits, like surprisingly dangerous foods, are largely unknown due to ignorance, while others like the new cat-breed life expectancy study are completely new approaches to animal care.
How your dog can tell when you’re home
Antelope Pets (@antelopepets), who earlier revealed whether your cat would eat your face, has a flourishing TikTok account that usually produces content around burning questions about pets.
In a clip posted last week, a vet sat down to talk about how your dog knows when you’ve pulled onto your driveway.
Though she did acknowledge some reactions are down to queues like a door shutting or the familiar sound of feet on stones, she also revealed that dogs can somewhat “smell” time.
“Meaning the human scent is present in a space at a higher degree when you’re leaving, and as time goes on the scent fades,” she said. “So the dog knows that when it usually gets to this concentration of smell, you come home, so they will be more alert and more kind of prepared for our arrival.”
On the queue side of things, most down owners should already know that their pooch has one of the most sophisticated noses on the planet. As such, not only can they hear the door closing, but they can smell certain cues that suggest you’re about to walk through the door.
Everyone’s a proud dog owner
Of course, most dog owners think their pooch is the best-behaved boy or girl on the planet. While we don’t doubt their skills, not every dog can be the best at sensing when you’ve arrived home.
One person gushed: “My dog knows that when I’m on the phone with my husband that he’s going to be home soon and they sit at the window for him.”
Another said: “My dog recognized my parents’ car even though we lived in an apartment building with all these other cars around.”
Someone else commented: “My parents always knew when I was on my way home because about 10 minutes before I got home the dogs would start getting restless and watching the door or going outside to watch the gate.”
