My mum doesn't have a regular routine (she is retired) but her dogs know at least half an hour before her arrival that she is on her way. I don't know how they know, but they dance with excitement long before they could possibly hear the car. My dog knows too, but I have more of a routine so it is less surprising. Has anyone else noticed that their pets know when family members are coming home.
I am more aware of it with my mum's dog than my dog, but it is more than just hearing the car because thy start to get excited about half an hour before she gets home.
I saw an experiment where they filmed the owner coming home at all different times and filmed the dog at the same time. The dog consistently knew when the owner was coming home no matter how much that time varied. It seems that dogs have a psychic link with their owners!
Mine have no idea I am coming home or even that I am parking on the driveway [so my other half tells me], until I literally put the door key into the lock then they know someone is coming in, not sure they even know it's me tbh until they actually see me. At any rate, I get the same most wonderous welcome whether I have been gone for 2 days or just 5 minutes...
The one who was most 'in tune' about my mum coming home was a dachshund (a rescue dog) who worshipped my mum. At least half an hour before she got home he would start trotting up and down in the lounge, then he would run around in circles and work himself into a frenzy until she got home.