#165 Dawn and Dusk Dogs

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Ever noticed your dog suddenly becoming more alert as the sun sets? Those evening zoomies and heightened awareness aren't random behaviors—they're wired into your pet's DNA.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the 5-Minute Dog, the mini-podcast
that delivers practical trainingadvice in less than 5 minutes.
Have you ever noticed that yourdog suddenly gets more alert in
the evening?
Maybe he starts sniffing more,scanning the yard, or maybe he
even gets the zoomies aroundsunset.

(00:26):
There's a reason for that andit's built into their biology.
Dogs are what's calledcrepuscular, which means they're
naturally wired to be morealert and active at dawn and
dusk.
That's when their wildancestors did most of their
hunting and exploring Prey.

(00:47):
Animals were on the move andthe temperatures were cooler.
So it made sense to be sharpand ready, and their senses are
built for it.
Dogs have more rod cells intheir eyes than we do, which
gives them better motiondetection in low light.
They also have a reflectivelayer in the back of the eye

(01:09):
that enhances vision at dawn anddusk.
Even their noses get an edge atdusk.
Cooler air helps scentmolecules settle, making it
easier to detect and followsmells on the ground.
That's why some dogs seemespecially scent-focused in the
evening.
They're working with idealconditions.

(01:31):
So if your dog seems more alert, more energetic or even more
reactive around sunset, that'snot random.
That's nature doing its thing.
And if you have never walkedyour dog at dusk.
You should.
You will usually see acompletely different dog from

(01:53):
the one you walked at 3 pm.