Time change has Mill Valley cockapoo confused about morning routine

"While Coco seems to have accepted time changes in the past, we have to take into consideration her age. As a fellow certified older entity, I can attest that change gets tougher the older we get, so at 14, Coco's internal clock might be harder to reset. We can't turn back time at this point, but in the future, start working on the issue about a week before the next time change (we'll be springing forward on March 8)."

"The good news, you can do the same thing now. When Coco starts whining at 5:30 a.m., wait 15 minutes until 5:45 a.m. Then get up and start the routine. Do this for a few days, then add in another 15 minutes. When 5:45 a.m. rolls around, stay in bed until 6 a.m. In a week or so, you should be back to getting up at 6:30 a.m. If Coco doesn't do well with the 15-minute increments, you can do 5 or 10. The idea is to move forward (or backward), and maintain a routine."

A 14-year-old cockapoo is waking an hour earlier after the fall clock change and continues to rise around 5:30 a.m. despite being fed at 7 a.m. and walked later in the morning. Age can make internal clocks harder to reset, so gradual adjustment is recommended. Delay responding to early whining in small increments—5, 10 or 15 minutes—over several days until the wake time aligns with the desired hour. Start such adjustments about a week before future time changes to prevent shifts. Consistency of routine and incremental shifts are key to retraining the dog's wake schedule.

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