Bernese Mountain Dog Stares in Disbelief After Dinner Is 2 Minutes Late

Dogs may not not know how to read a clock, but boy, do they ever know how to tell time — better than many humans, in some cases. They tend to be very routine oriented, so even though they might not be able to identify the numbers on the clock (or be beholden to an alarm clock telling them to get up every morning the way people are) they know when certain things are supposed to happen at certain points of the day... and if your dog is food motivated, that means they really know when meal times are supposed to be happening and when those meals are late.

Case in point: The dog in this Instagram video, who is absolutely not playing around when it comes to dinner. Two minutes late might as well be two hours for all he's concerned!

In this video from @itskevintheberner on Instagram, we see the look that Kevin the Bernese Mountain Dog is giving his mom, and let's just say that every dog parent on the planet has been on the receiving end of that look before!

"When dinner is at 5:00 and it's now 5:02," says the video.

It's not just the look, it's the combination of the look and the head tilt that really sells just how disappointed Kevin is in his mom even daring to serve him dinner two minutes later than usual.

"Someone called Canine Pawtective Services. I’m starving over here!" his mom wrote in the caption.

Kevin's mom isn't alone, though, and in case she didn't know that already, there are plenty of fellow dog parents in the comments sharing that their pups would have a similar reaction. One person wrote, "You should be proud you made it to 5:02... I get that look at 4:35!"

How Do Dogs Know It's Dinner Time?

Since dogs don't live by the clock the way we do, how do they know what time it is? They do have their own way of perceiving time, and it only gets better the more we give them a regular daily schedule that they can depend on.

As PetMD points out, dogs use a lot of different cues to be able to tell what time of day it is. When the sun comes up, they know it's morning and another day is starting, and when it gets dark again, they know it's night time and almost time to go to bed.

And whether you think about it or not, there is probably a certain pattern you follow around their mealtimes that they're paying attention to, too. But if you serve them meals at the same time every day, they know exactly when that food should appear in their bowl (and you'll have to deal with the consequences of being late, of course).

Remember to be ready with that food at dinner time, and not a second late, or you'll have a very sad dog to deal with!