15 Amazing Things Your Dog Can Sense About You

15 Amazing Things Your Dog Can Sense About You Page 1

Any dog lover will tell you that dogs have a sixth sense when it comes to

understanding human emotional needs.

When you are feeling down, a dog can often act as a better confidant

than another human.

They also listen better, respond appropriately to your emotions, and

seem to genuinely care about your feelings. What gives?

Source: dognotebook.com


It should come as no surprise that dogs are capable of intense feelings.

They are highly social, pack animals with strong emotional connections

to other dogs. They have their own social structures and bonding rituals,

many of which mirror human social structures.

The same emotional connections that dogs experience in packs can

transfer easily to any group setting, including cross-species situations.

To your dog, you are family. It is as simple as that.

Of course, there are many other fascinating things that your dog

understands about you that you may not be aware of. Sometimes their

abilities can be downright spooky, but there are strong scientific

explanations for your dog’s behaviors. Understanding how your dog

perceives you can help you relate better to your pet.

Here is a look at 15 things your dog can sense about you along with

some insight into how dogs do these things and what it all means.


1. Dogs Know When You Are Sad

When you feel sad, your dog will immediately pick up on this and adjust

his behavior accordingly. He may become more subdued than usual, lose

interest in his toys and even refuse his food.

Usually, your dog will quietly observe you from a corner of the room.

After a while, he may come over and lie down at your feet or gently rest

his head in your lap. Many dogs will even try to lick away tears as they

fall. A dog’s master is the center of his entire world, so sensing your

feelings of sadness will have an effect on him too.

In a study published in the journal “Animal Cognition,” researchers

found that a dog was more likely to approach someone who was crying

than someone who was humming or talking. Furthermore, they found

that dogs respond to weeping with submissive behavior.


In other words, dogs seem to be trying to placate a person who is upset.

What is more, dogs will approach anyone who is upset the same way,

regardless of whether that person is their owner or not.

The scientists insist that this study does not prove that dogs experience

empathy, but it certainly goes a long way to supporting the claim. It also

clearly indicates that dogs can identify sadness as an emotion that is

different from other feelings.

2. Dogs Can Sense Your Intentions

We’ve all experienced a dog’s almost psychic ability to sense when

something unpleasant is about to take place.


Even before you turn on the shower or touch his towel, your dog knows

you intend to give him a bath and will immediately run for cover. The

same goes for haircuts, nail trims and administering medicine.

On the other side, your dog will also understand if your intentions are

pure and you are performing the task for his own good.

Most dogs will submit to unpleasant experiences, such as nail trims, if

their owner is close by to offer some reassuring words and gentle

encouragement.

At least one study has shown that dogs read intentions by reading

behavior. A 2011 study published in “Learning & Behavior” found that

domestic dogs are roughly as intelligent as a 2-year-old human. That

means that they are capable of understanding the meaning of roughly

165 words and that they can make sense of body language.

It turns out that dogs use eye contact and gaze to figure out what people

are thinking. Just as a mentalist will follow your gaze to determine what

is on your mind that you don’t want him to know, so too will dogs

follow your gaze to get a read on what you are thinking.

So, when you look at the bathtub while calling your dog, he knows you

are thinking of cleaning off the dead skunk he worked so hard to grind

into his fur.

3. Dogs can Sense Any Diseases You May

Have


If your dog has been paying particular attention to a certain area of your

body, you may want to visit your doctor to make sure everything is okay.

Various studies have confirmed that dogs have the ability to detect

certain diseases such as cancer through their keen sense of smell.

Some dogs can even be trained to warn epilepsy sufferers when they are

about to have a seizure.

There are many different training centers opening in various parts of the

world that are dedicated to training dogs to detect the subtle chemical

changes in the human body that signal disease.

A dog’s ability to sense disease comes down to an ability to detect

chemicals known as volatile organic compounds or VOCs. VOCs are

what allows us to sense odor and though some are toxic, the term

generally applies to any chemical that can get into your nose because it


is a gas. While humans can detect certain potent VOCs, our limited

sense of smell is no match for what dogs can do.

Depending on the breed, a dog’s sense of smell can be anywhere from

10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than a human’s. That means that a dog

can pick up a scent that is up to 100,000 times weaker than any scent a

human can detect.

If you translate that into terms we understand, like vision, it means that

while a human can see roughly 1/3 of a mile, a dog could see just as well

at a distance of 3,000 miles if his eyesight were as good, relative to our

own, as his nose is! Put another way, a dog can detect a teaspoon of

sugar in a million gallons of water.

4. Dogs Understand When You Feel

Scared


If you feel scared, your dog will know about it in an instant. A dog’s

sensitive nose can pick up on subtle scents, such as adrenalin, that he

associates with fear and danger.

If you have a Rottweiler or Doberman, then your burly protector will

most likely spring into action and come to your rescue.

Smaller dogs, or those with nervous temperaments, will follow your lead

and start to feel scared themselves.

Your dog will always look to you for guidance on how to react in certain

situations, so if you want your dog to be brave you will have to lead by

example.


Fear is an emotion shared by a large number of animals, dogs included.

While it is true that dogs can “smell” fear, it is also true that they

intuitively understand the body language associated with it.

Dogs, like humans, have a customary reaction to fear. Their hair stands

up, their pupils dilate, their lips curl, and their stance changes. When

they associate their fear posturing with human fear posturing, they gain

an understanding of what humans look like when they are afraid.

Combine this with their awesome sense of smell and it’s no wonder that

dogs can so easily detect fear.

5. Dogs Know When You Are Being

Unfair

Your dog will immediately understand if you are playing favorites.


A study performed in Austria tested what would happen if one dog was

rewarded for performing a trick while another was not given anything

for completing the same task.

The dogs that did not receive a reward became agitated at the sight of

their peers receiving treats. They responded by scratching and licking

themselves with impatience. In other words, they recognized the

unfairness of the situation.

Notably, the dogs that took part in the study were unable to differentiate

between the sizes of the rewards. If one dog received a sausage while

another received bread, both dogs were more than happy with their prize.

Remember, dogs are roughly as intelligent as a 2-year-old child.

Many animals have a sense of justice. Chimps, for instance, have a very

strong sense of right and wrong and even take pleasure in punishing

those who break the rules. Dogs have their own sense of fairness and it

results from their social structure.

One reason that dogs understand fairness arises out of their roots as

wolves. Researchers have found that, because wolves must coordinate as

a pack to hunt, they depend upon rules of fairness to survive.

A wolf that doesn’t pull his weight won’t be allowed to partake in the

rewards of a hunt. By the same token, a wolf that works hard to bring

down an elk isn’t going to respond well to being denied a piece of the

prize.

Treat your dog the way you would want to be treated. Human and canine

justice both come down to that simple golden rule.


6. Dogs Understand If You Suddenly

Have Other Priorities

Dogs that have spent the vast majority of their lives being spoiled and

adored by their owner will understand, to some extent, if attention

suddenly shifts to a new priority.

A new baby, boyfriend, hobby or even a new pet can lead to feelings of

jealousy and resentment from your pampered pooch.

Some dogs have even been known to physically insert themselves

between two lovers in order to shift the attention back onto them.

Having pointed out that dogs are able to recognize and cope with shifts

in your priorities, remember that they don’t want to be neglected. The

most important thing in the life of your pet is you.

Your dog relies on you to feed and care for his most basic needs. To let

your dog know that you still care, do your best to keep his routine intact.

A disruption in a dog’s routine will not only trigger feelings of jealousy,

but will also play on your pet’s sense of justice.


If your dog displays feelings of jealousy, try to encourage him to interact

with the new member of the family. Set aside at least ten minutes a day

for some ‘alone time’ between you and your dog. Do right by your dog

by responding to his emotional needs the way you would with a person.

7. Dogs Sense When You Are Angry

Owners that have been with their dog for several years often do not have

to utter a single word to show that they are annoyed.

If you come home and find your dog knee-deep in the garbage can,

placing your hands on your hips and issuing a disapproving stare is often

enough to convey your anger.

When on the receiving end of discipline, a dog will often crouch down,

tremble, whine and occasionally lose bladder control.

A recent study found that dogs will display this behavior when

reprimanded even if they haven’t actually done anything wrong. It is


clear that dogs can sense anger, but it is also clear that they can’t always

understand its source.

Dogs often don’t know if you are angry at them or as the result of

something else. This can be a disastrous situation because a dog may

change his behavior in response to your anger, even if he has done

nothing wrong. If this happens often enough, your dog may become

frustrated with the lack of consistency in the rules and start to act out.

Once again, this harkens back to a dog’s sense of justice.

Your pet will try to please you, but if he feels you are treating him

unfairly and that he can do no right, he will start to act out.

8. Dogs Know If You Are A Generous

Person

Just as we judge other people based on their actions, dogs will also pay

attention to how you act toward others.


An experiment organized by the University of Milan allowed dogs to

observe humans in social situations.

The dogs watched one set of actors sharing their food with a homeless

man and another group telling the man to leave in an aggressive manner.

Afterward, the two sets of actors attempted to call the dogs at the same

time.

Almost all of the dogs would respond to the generous actors when called

and avoided the aggressive group.

Generosity is about justice as much as it is about kindness. It is also

about tone of voice, anger, and all of the things previously discussed.

The bottom line is that your dog knows when you are being generous

and when you are being stingy.

If you are stingy too often, your dog may begin to take things behind

your back, act out, or otherwise let you know he is disappointed. Dogs

expect reciprocity, they expect kindness, and they expect fairness. Dogs

have a strong moral compass, which is what makes them such

outstanding companions. They expect you to live a moral life and will

react accordingly.

9. Dogs Immediately Know When Your

Back is Turned


If you leave food on a table or kitchen counter within reach of your dog,

you had better develop eyes in the back of your head if you want it to

remain there.

Many dogs would not dream of stealing food in front of their owner, but

doing it behind their back is another situation entirely.

Researchers tested the willpower of several dogs by setting treats down

in front of them and then forbidding the dogs to approach the food. As

soon as the researchers left the room, every one of the dogs inhaled the

food in an instant.

With a sense of justice comes a sense of understanding what one can get

away with. How much can you cheat on your taxes? Should you tell a


white lie to avoid that boring party? Satisfaction sometimes dictates that

we do things that are less than honest so that we can gain some pleasure.

With dogs, food is a major source of pleasure. They don’t have access to

food the way humans do, able to eat any time they want, so don’t be

surprised when your dog risks mild punishment for stealing a little food

when your back is turned.

10. Dogs Understand If You Are A

Pushover


Some of the more energetic breeds of dog, such as Labradors and Pit

bulls, require a firm disciplinarian to reign in their wild behavior.

Larger breeds sometimes don’t understand their own strength and can be

dangerous if they suddenly decide to surprise a child or an old person

with a hug.

However, just because a dog is well-behaved for its master or trainer

does not mean it will act the same way for everyone else.

Dogs like to test the boundaries on a regular basis. If they find someone

who does not punish them for pulling on the leash, digging up the

garden, or eating the garbage, they will take advantage their new-found

freedom.

Dogs rely heavily on social hierarchies to determine what they are and

are not allowed to do in a setting. If you want your dog to behave, then

he or she needs to see you as the alpha in the relationship.

To maintain alpha status, you need to do what an alpha dog would do.

That means making your dog heel on walks, going through doorways

first, always eating first, never feeding the dog from the table, and

sticking to your punishments when the dog has misbehaved. If you

maintain alpha status, your dog will never think you are a pushover.

11. Dogs Can Sense If A Woman Is

Pregnant


While there has been no scientific proof that dogs can sense when a

women is expecting, there are hundreds of stories of women who

noticed changes in their dog’s behavior during their pregnancy.

Many owners report that their dogs suddenly become much more

protective, attentive, and loving.

They also report that the dogs begin escorting them everywhere they go.

Your dog may also sniff or nuzzle your belly and rest his head on it.

Dogs pick up on hormonal changes, such as when a woman is

menstruating, so the ability to sniff out a pregnancy is not so far-fetched.

It should come as no surprise that your dog may feel put out by the new

bundle of joy in your home. To ensure that dog and baby are happy

together, you need to start preparing your canine friend for the new baby

as soon as you know you are pregnant.

Most experts recommend that you give the pet a special place that

belongs only to him, that you take time each day to spend only with your


dog, and that you don’t change routine if it you can avoid it. If you must

change your dog’s routine, then start early and do it gradually.

You want the change to be complete before the baby is born so that your

dog doesn’t associate the ruination of his daily routine with the baby.

12. Dogs Know When You Are Taking

Them To The Vet


How a dog can tell the difference between a trip to the vet and a car ride

to the park is a mystery to humans.

As soon as you load him into the car, your dog will already know what

is going on. He may stare worriedly out of the window, pace back and

forth, or eye you suspiciously.

Once you get to the vets, then most dogs develop a set of anti-lock

brakes that makes them impossible to move.

Even if they are visiting a new vet for the first time, as soon as the door

opens, they already understand that what is in store isn’t pleasant.

A dog knows that he is going to the vet thanks to his sense of smell and

his ability to read body language. You probably can’t make a trip to the

vet fun for your dog, but you can make it less anxiety-provoking.

Most experts recommend that you acclimate your dog to the vet by

taking him there on visits (no shots or prodding during these times). You

should also “play doctor” with your dog. That means touching him on

the pads of his feet, looking in his mouth, and otherwise doing things

that a vet would do.

You want to normalize these behaviors for your dog so that they aren’t

alarming when the vet does them.

13. Dogs Understand When You Are

Grieving


How much dogs can understand about death is still not fully understood.

There have been many stories of pets grieving for their dead owners, and

many have kept up vigils next to their owner’s grave or previous home.

Losing a loved one brings a deep sadness that is very unlike other kinds

that result from the breakup of a relationship or disappointment at work.

Your dog will understand when you are mourning a loved one and will

most likely go through a grieving process of his own. He may become

clingier or more attentive. Some dogs have been known to howl when

experiencing bereavement.

To help your dog deal with grief, start by maintaining his normal routine.

Believe it our not, too much affection can be a bad thing. Some dogs

will see it as a sign of weakness and take it that they need to assume the

alpha role.

You need to be calm and confident when a pet is grieving. Your job is as

much about helping the dog move one (by playing, maintaining routine,


etc.) as it is about placating your pet. Keep in mind that you should

never introduce a new pet during a time of grief. Wait until your dog has

recovered before getting a new puppy.

14. Dogs Know If You Are A Good

Person

Good, honest, trustworthy people have an aura of good energy around

them.

New science suggests that, contrary to what neurologists previously

believed, the heart actually has a stronger electromagnetic field than the

brain.

It also sends messages to the brain, through neurotransmitters, that

influence thoughts and behavior.

When we describe someone as being “goodhearted,” it means that the

person literally has a force field of good energy radiating from their


heart. Dogs have been aware of this magnetic field for centuries and will

naturally gravitate toward those who emit good energy.

Dogs will also know if you are a good person based on your body

language and how you treat others. If your dealings with others are just

and fair, your dog will pick up on that based on how people react to you.

Just as the dogs above were drawn to the more generous individuals,

dogs are also drawn to those they perceive as more fair or trustworthy.

It isn’t entirely clear how dogs make these moral judgments, but it is

clear that you need to be consistently fair, both to your dog and to those

around you, to let your pet know that you are a good person.

15. Dogs Understand When You Do Not

Like Someone


When we gaze at something or someone we love, a chemical reaction

takes place within our body.

Dopamine and serotonin are released into our system and cause a

chemical reaction that leads to feelings of happiness, joy, infatuation and

ecstasy.

The same thing happens when you look at a person you do not like.

Except in this case the body releases a completely different set of

hormones that are associated with hate, resentment and fear.

Your dog can detect these changes in you, and will most likely begin to

dislike the person that caused your reaction.

Of course, body language plays a role in whether your pet thinks you

like someone or not. Keep in mind that any dog, even a gentle dog, may

try to protect you from people it perceives as a threat.

If you are avoiding a person, watching that person closely, or are

otherwise sending out signals that you distrust someone, don’t be

surprised if your dog barks, growls, or lunges at that person if he or she

tries to approach you.

This is important to keep in mind because your behavior can help put

your dog at ease and thus decrease the chances of a confrontation in

which you, your dog, or another individual may be injured.

Source: dognotebook.com

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15 Amazing Things Your Dog Can Sense About You