DOG TRAINING and THE MOON and SUN
Dogs and all animals follow nature's clock; just before sunrise they start moving, just after sunset they stop moving, unless they are nocturnal and then it is the other way around.
Just before sunset, dogs have a drink and do their last business before bedding down in a warm, dry cozy spot. Bedding provided should be clean, free of strings, clips, zippers and chewing/entrapment hazards. My guard dogs snuggle on a rug, my lap dogs somehow get under my quilt, and the lure coursers prefer their crates at night. Everyone is snoozed out by an hour after darkfall. Dogs will stir and be active at times during a new moon rise, which is at midnight. Old guys may need a potty visit around 1 AM and the moon rise is the reason. The new moon is at midnight, the full moon is at 6PM, quarter moons rise around noon. Dogs will snack when the moon is overhead. At times during the day, the moon is overhead. Knowing what the moon is up to helps understand your dog and improves your training. Of course they fit into our schedule of necessity, but it helps us to understand what they would rather be doing.
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Dogs love to watch the moon rise; they are active at moon rise
(photos from spring equinox Calgary 2013) |
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| Without an alarm clock, the dogs wake at sunrise, flap their ears and want out to do their business before breakies. |