The anti-SAD dog
3 Comments Published by Gussie on Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 10/25/2009 10:32:00 AM.
The PDSA has a survey for pet owners about whether pets' moods and behaviour change in the winter months.
The survey makes some assumptions from the outset – that pets are less inclined to go out in the winter, that they eat more, that they are afraid of the dark.
Jake has never enjoyed being prised out of his nice warm bed on a dark morning. But once he’s yawned his way down the stairs (we live on 1st & 2nd floors) and has sniffed the air from the porch, he’s quite happy to trot out, even into the rain (and he hates getting wet). He's not bothered about night walks - they've always been a part of his life with us. It helps that Little Lord Fauntledog has all the gear.
But slowness in getting out of bed is about it in terms of a negative reaction to the winter months. Jake seems to do the opposite to what the PDSA is expecting. Jake is less happy in the summer. In warmer weather he is less active, less enthusiastic on walks and at agility, and grumpier with other dogs. Observation tells us he’s worse on days when pollen is high. On warmer days his black coat feels hot to the touch, and we have to plan to cool him down and avoid being out for too long in hot parts of the day. It struck me as I completed the survey that we should make him a dark den as a bolthole for the summer months (in Edinburgh in mid June it can be light between 4am and 11pm). I wonder if he misses sleeping in the dark – he does pull cushions and toys over his eyes to sleep.
Over the last few weeks, as is the case every autumn, Jake has a new spring in his step, is much more lively on his walks and noticeably more chilled around other dogs. He was almost puppy-cheerful in the woods yesterday.
Bring on the frosty mornings, that always makes him really perky.
He is an anti-SAD dog.
I remember once being in Scotland, near Loch Ness, and being amazed that it was light so far into the night. It must be strange to have to adapt to such extremes of day length.
Penny, also, is used to night walks, but probably for a different reason from Jake - it's because for a large part of the year it is simply too hot here to go anywhere during the day if you have a built-in fur coat.
Hi Jake! Thanks for coming over to visit me! You are so lucky to live in Scotland - my human says it is one of the most beautiful places in the world! :-)
I agree with you = I find it much easier to get up and move about on cooler days than on warmer ones...esp for giant doggies like me - we don't like the heat! My human says this is just another example of humans always trying to put their own feelings and thoughts and emotions on dogs!! :-)
Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane
Parlance - we'll think of you & Penny whenever J is grumping about what passes for summer temperatures here. ;-)
Honey - you're right, humans do project onto the pooches.