Dog Sense Emotion

Whether dogs sense emotions in their human counterparts is a subject that has been highly debated, maybe in the scientific community, if not among dog owners. Most dog owners are convinced of the fact and would regard any claims to the contrary as being ludicrous. So what is the truth, can dogs sense emotions or not?

While most pet owners feel a close connection and bond with their pets, they also like and feel the need to believe that their pets reciprocate these feelings. This has given rise to a variety of claims, from dogs sensing human emotions to other less likely claims. Researchers do accept that non-human animals can experience a wide range of emotions like anxiety, fear and anger but they do not have the same levels of self consciousness that we do and are therefore incapable of experiencing secondary emotions. This is a very valid argument and it would logically imply that the likelihood that dogs sense human emotions is very low. Without a sense of self awareness, they claim that it’s not possible to experience secondary emotions like jealousy or empathy. For example, an animal would not be able to put itself in another rival’s place to think ‘he’s enjoying that more, but I’d like it better’ and so on. This viewpoint would however be a very big over simplification of what we know, as there are clear examples of dogs sensing and responding to human emotions. The only issue that should be up for debate is whether these responses are purely emotional or largely instinctive.

The subject of dogs and emotions may rage on but there can be little doubt among those experienced with dogs that dogs sense emotions in humans. This is not a biased view, but is based largely on observations. The greatest sensory organ of the dog is probably its olfactory system, which dogs and the entire wolf family have traditionally relied on for survival. A dog’s sense of smell is in fact thought to be upto a thousand times more powerful than ours. When we experience emotional changes or physical conditions, there are also simultaneous hormonal changes. Dogs can pick up on these cues as our bodies do emit these changes in scent. It is for this very reason that dogs apart from being used to hunt can also be used to detect certain diseases in humans. These very qualities also make them a great aid to individuals who suffer seizures or palpitations, among other conditions, as dogs have often been able to predict impending attacks, giving the patient time to prepare or even avert the condition. Canines are so perceptive of mood and emotional changes through the changes in scent from fluctuating hormones that it is actually very true that they can smell fear.