Dogs Can Sniff Out Human Stress, Study Finds

A recent study published in Scientific Reports revealed that dogs can assess the stress levels of their owners or even complete strangers, which may, in turn, affect their own emotional state.

The research, conducted by the University of Bristol, Cardiff University, and the British charity Medical Detection Dogs, involved 18 dogs of various breeds along with their owners, as well as eleven volunteers who were unfamiliar with the dogs.

“For thousands of years, dogs have learned to live with us, and a lot of their evolution has been alongside us. Both humans and dogs are social animals, and there’s an emotional contagion between us,” said lead study author Zoe Parr-Cortes.

During the study, a series of stress-inducing and stress-relieving activities were conducted, during which sweat samples of each volunteer were collected on clothes.

Later, the dogs were put in a room with two bowls at different locations – one containing food and the other left empty. The dogs’ quick approach towards the food bowl was interpreted as a positive emotional state, while a slow approach indicated negative emotion.

Researchers then presented the sweat samples to the dogs. They noted that dogs who smelled the stressed-out sweat were distracted from the food, indicating a negative state of emotion. In contrast, dogs who smelled sweat from a calm volunteer, showed no change in their emotional state.

Study lead author Dr. Nicola Rooney said, “Understanding how human stress affects dogs’ well-being is an important consideration for dogs in kennels and when training companion dogs and dogs as assistance dogs. Dog owners know how attuned their pets are to their emotions, but here we show that even the odor of a stressed, unfamiliar human affects a dog’s emotional state, perception of rewards, and ability to learn.”

Rooney continued, “Working dog handlers often describe stress traveling down the lead, but we’ve also shown it can also travel through the air.”

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