Time change has Mill Valley cockapoo confused about morning routine

DEAR JOAN: This year’s fall reset of our clocks back an hour appears to have permanently changed the morning rising time for our 14-year-old small cockapoo, Coco.

In past years, within a few weeks of the reset she adjusted with us to sleep to our normal rising time of about 6:30 a.m. Now six weeks since the time change, she continues to get up at 5:30 a.m. or earlier.

We take her outside when she gets up and feed her at 7 a.m. She is walked daily, generally later in the morning. She sleeps in our bedroom on a dog bed on the floor a few feet from our bed. She paws at our bed and whimpers to get us up when she rises. Is there anything that we can do to help get her to rise later?

— Mark Klender, Mill Valley

DEAR MARK: 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.

DEAR JOAN: I’m wondering if birds can taste the difference in bird seeds? Do they have preferences, and why? Do they have taste buds?

— Paul Dankert, Sunnyvale

DEAR PAUL: Birds do have preferences for specific seeds, fruits, berries and insects, primarily because of genetics. The size and shape of their beaks is an influence. Obviously a hummingbird isn’t going to try to eat a walnut, and a pelican isn’t going to try to sip from a nectar feeder. The hardness of the food and the strength of the beak also influence what a bird eats.

They also eat what best feeds their body, based on their nutritional needs and the nutrient content of the food. Baby birds are taught by their parents what to eat, and then they’ll teach their offspring, and the chain continues.

Birds do have tastebuds, but not that many. Humans have up to 9,000, while birds have about 300, but like humans, they seek out the tastiest foods, or those they find the most pleasing. However, survival is their main goal, so when they find a source of their preferred food, they’ll eat what’s available rather than wait for something better.

The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.