Content
It's been proven that dogs have much more powerful abilities than humans, especially when it comes to smell, a sense that they have developed a lot.
The questions to ask about this fact are not just: "How evolved can dogs smell?" or "What kinds of odors can they perceive?" but rather "Can dogs interpret emotions, feelings, or sensations through their sense of smell?"
In this article by PeritoAnimal we will clarify the question of whether the dogs smell fear. Read on and find out if this concept has scientific validity, if it's a myth or if it's a little bit of everything.
a hormonal issue
The truth is that dogs, by sniffing, can identify the body smell that release certain hormones when there is a sudden change in emotions (such as stress, anxiety or arousal), but it is not known for certain science whether the dog is able to analyze, identify and label these reactions.
These hormones are released both in the blood and in other body fluids (sweat, tears and urine), so when a situation occurs in which the body must generate these hormones, the person or other animal will smell different and the dog will be able to detect that there is a change.
The fact that the dog reacts in a strange or negative way, as they say "don't be nervous because dogs smell fear and they can approach you and even attack you", is not proven. Some dogs come close because there is simply a special smell. However, other dogs can't even notice it.
Keep in mind that our dear canine companions have around them a world of scents, all available at the same time.
Body language also influences
The ability dogs have to read our body language it's even more impressive than the sense of smell. It is possible that they detect fear more accurately through a behavior or expression, however small it may be. Dogs are very sensitive animals and have investigative skills, being able to feel fear just by looking at us.
Our fear, being in many cases an irrational and unconscious emotion, and as a way of protection, could lead us to have an aggressive or apprehensive attitude towards the dog. The dog could react both according to our behavior in this time of tension, as well as its own emotional upbringing.
In conclusion, we should not remain tense and breathe a hundred times in the presence of a dog, but it will always be a good idea to try keep calm in any situation that may generate some anxiety. Finally, although we fully trust dogs (as they have always been man's best friends), they are still creatures of the animal world, an enigmatic world that still remains to be discovered.
