Dogs and humans have had a close emotional bond for thousands of years. But, can a dog actually sense your emotions? And, if they can, how does it happen?
Ways Dogs Can Sense Your Emotions
Through Body Language
Dogs are great watchers who spend most of their time observing our behaviours and body language. It is commonly known that 90% of human communication is non verbal and only 10% is verbal. Our facial expressions, head posture, and overall body posture can determine your mood or motivation.
Dogs are great at reading facial expressions. If you smile with an exaggerated face your dog will portray the same attitude. Although if you frown
or have a stern upset look your dog will avoid eye contact and usually act upset as if it has done something wrong.
Some dogs will often try to interrupt their owners kissing or hugging as they can sense some sort of pleasure and want to be a part of it. Some dogs will paw at their owners or try to shove themselves right in between.
Another interesting thing is that dogs are often more aggressive towards people who fear them. A fearful person will often times tense up and stare which a dog will view this behaviour as being a challenging one, similar to another dog squaring up to its opponent. This behaviour can immediately put a dog on the defensive side.
Through Smell
A dog’s sense of smell is approximately a million times more sensitive than a human’s sense of smell. People who may be fearful can sometimes perspire a little without noticing it or being able to smell it themselves although a dog will pick up on this scent almost immediately.
Most times when you are feeling ill, your metabolism changes and different chemicals in your breath may appear which a dog can sense as well which is why you will most likely find your dog curled up in a ball beside you.
Dogs are also very sensitive to a woman’s physical and hormonal changes during her menstrual cycle. A dog can easily detect the scents associated with this time of the month and some women may notice that their dog wants to sniff them more often during this time as well.
Through Sound
Dogs can hear the different inflections in your voice. They know when you’re happy, anxious, sad, or angry, which is why your dog may hang their head and sulk the minute you discover the trouble they have gotten into.
We sometimes think that dogs don’t have the greatest hearing especially when we are calling them and they just don’t respond. This is not the case, as a dog can hear a wider range of frequencies than we can. Your dog usually anticipates your arrival home just from the sound of your car, your keys outside, or your voice. So in fact when they don’t come when you call them they truly are just ignoring you.
In General
Animals tend to have more compassion and empathy than most humans and it is in their nature to protect and comfort us. Have you ever noticed that dogs are often brought into hospitals or nursing homes as they have such a positive effect on people and their emotions? There are numerous therapy dog programs for owners and their dogs so they can visit and comfort people in need.
Some people are convinced that dogs are a great stress reliever and people without pets seems to be more on edge or cranky. Studies have shown that spending time with a dog can improve mood, reduce depression, lower blood pressure, and even help you live longer.
During Pregnancy
A dog can sense the physical changes in a woman’s body when she is pregnant, especially once she starts to move around more slowly or awkwardly. A dog can also sense the emotional changes in a woman from the beginning of the pregnancy right up to the delivery. Some dogs will become more affectionate during this time, while others may become overly protective even when it comes to other family members wanting to get close to the expecting mother. To learn more, check out our blog post titled “Do Dogs Understand When A Women Is Pregnant”.
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