Any dog owner will tell you that their pet really does seem to understand them on a level that sometimes feels almost human.
And now scientists have confirmed something that we’ve long suspected about our furry friends – dogs really are in tune with our emotions, and respond to them in turn…
More specifically, it looks like that time-old expression about animals being able to smell your fear really is true, New Scientist reports.
While previous studies have shown that dogs can see and hear human emotions, this is the first time researchers have proven that pets can understand our emotional state through smell.
‘The role of the olfactory system has been largely underestimated, maybe because our own species is more focused on the visual system,’ explains Biagio D’Aniello from the University of Naples Federico II.
To test whether dogs could sniff out human emotions, the team got volunteers to watch videos designed to cause reactions, including fear, happiness or a neutral response, before collecting sweat samples.
The researchers then presented the samples to domestic dogs, before monitoring the pets’ behaviour and heart rates.
And, strangely enough, the dogs who were exposed to fear displayed more signs of stress than those who had sniffed happy or neutral samples. Their heart rates were also higher, they sought out more reassurance from their owners, and they were less likely to interact with strangers.
So, there you have it – take care how you behave around your beloved pet… It might have a bigger effect on them than you ever knew…
The study was published in the journal Animal Cognition.
