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😟 Your Dog Can Smell When You’re Stressed!

😟 Your Dog Can Smell When You’re Stressed!

And it actually affects their behavior

Bryan Reisberg
August 01, 2024

Study Proves Your Dog Can Smell When You’re Stressed, And It’s Really Affecting Them

A dog’s nose is 10,000 more powerful than a humans. We know they can smell drugs, explosives, and even cancer, but here’s something new we just discovered…

A new study out of the UK found that dogs turn into little pessimists after sniffing a sweaty rag from a nervous human. Looks like even Fido can't handle our stress sweat!

The study, published in Scientific Reports, involved the University of Bristol, Cardiff University, and the British charity Medical Detection Dogs.

The Study

Scientists subjected humans to nerve-wracking tasks, collected their sweaty rags, and presented them to dogs to see how they'd react.

Dr. Zoe Parr-Cortes, the lead author, explained, “We know dogs can sniff out stress, but we wanted to see if it made them as grumpy as we get.” Spoiler alert: it does.

Humans were put through the wringer: forced to deliver impromptu speeches and solve math problems while researchers maintained serious poker faces. Afterward, they got to chill on a beanbag and watch relaxing nature videos. The researchers measured stress levels by collecting sweat and breath samples.

Meanwhile, 18 dogs were trained to distinguish between a food-filled bowl and an empty one. When they got it right, it was time for the real test: would they approach a bowl quickly, optimistic it had food, or slowly, pessimistic that it was empty?

Enter the sweaty rags. The dogs’ owners had them sniff jars containing the stress-soaked cloths before deciding whether to check out the bowl. And what did the study find?

The study found that dogs were less likely to approach a bowl at an ambiguous location when exposed to stress odors, indicating a more pessimistic outlook. The presence of stress odors led to risk-averse behaviors, suggesting dogs were in a more negative emotional state. The effect was significant at one ambiguous bowl location and at two known training locations associated with positive and negative outcomes. Dogs exposed to the stress scent were more hesitant, approaching the bowl with the enthusiasm of a Monday morning alarm clock. Relaxed scents? No problem; they bounded over with their usual optimism.

The study concluded that stress odors led to a decrease in risk-taking behavior and an increase in reward valuation. This suggests that dogs may detect a universal olfactory stress signal in humans, responding more innately to negative emotions like fear.

The Effects of Stress on Your Dog

Molly Byrne, a Ph.D. student from Boston College, said, “Dogs picking up on human stress isn’t surprising. If you’re stressed, you’re probably skimping on the treats!” Dr. Parr-Cortes added, “This study shows how in-tune dogs are with our moods. So keep it positive and keep those tails wagging!”

Byrne also noted, “A lot of training issues arise because the person is upset. Remember, if you’re anxious, your dog might be too. So, take a deep breath and maybe a break.”

Dr. Parr-Cortes summed it up perfectly: “Even if your dog looks chill, like my retired greyhound Darwin, your stress can affect them. So, for the sake of your furry friend, try to stay relaxed.”

So, next time you're feeling the pressure, remember: your dog might be catching those stressed-out vibes. And nobody wants a pessimistic pup!

A Dog’s Sense of Smell

A dog’s nose isn’t JUST more powerful than a human’s, they can literally smell into the past.

Dogs have 220 million olfactory receptors in their noses, which is much more than the five million in humans. Their noses also function differently than human noses, giving them the ability to detect a wide range of things including drugs, explosives, and diseases like cancer, diabetes and tuberculosis. They can also detect the odor equivalent of a teaspoon of sugar diluted in two Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Dog’s noses are so interesting, we even made a video about it!