Dogs can sniff out stress on owner's breath
 

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Our canine companions have proven once again how finely tuned they are to our feelings - this time in scientific sniffing test.

Scientists discovered that dogs can smell stress in our breath and sweat.

Four dogs - pets volunteered by their owners - were trained to "choose" one of three scent canisters.

And in more than 650 out of 700 trials, they successfully identified a sample of sweat or breath that had been taken from a stressed person.

The researchers, at Queen's University Belfast, hope their study, published in the journal Plos One, will help in the training of therapy dogs.

Dogs experience their world through smell. And their highly sensitive scent-detection abilities are already used to detect drugs, explosives, and illnesses, including certain cancers, diabetes and even Covid.

"We had lots of evidence that dogs can pick up smells from humans that are associated with certain medical conditions or disease - but we don't have much evidence that they can smell differences in our psychological state," lead researcher Clara Wilson said.

The 36 human volunteers reported their stress levels before and after completing a difficult maths problem.

Each can contained a sample of their sweat or breath from before or - as long as their blood pressure and heart rate had also increased - after.

And if the dogs, Treo, Fingal, Soot and Winnie, stood still or sat in front of the "stressed" sample, they were rewarded with a favourite dog treat.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-63066715

I was watching an old documentary about six months ago, about dogs who have saved their owners' lives by sniffing cancer growths.

One lady said her dog wouldn't stop putting its paws on her chest and she was really annoyed at the dog's behaviour but she felt her breasts and there was a tiny lump there that she hadn't noticed before. She went to the doctor and it was an early sign of cancer.

Luckily she had treatment and she is now in good health. :)

Animals have such keen sense of smell, its amazing. Once, I had friends round and my cat....usually the most anti social creature ever, wouldn't leave one of the girls alone and curled up on her purring all night. She found out a week later she was pregnant....I like to think the cat knew :love:

Well my old girl's breath tells me a sorry tale I can tell you

sounds a little fishy

:think:

:laugh:

I assumed that was basically a given, but "everyone knows that dogs know when their humans are upset" isn't the most scientific thing ever :joker:

I believe it did know.

Me too I had a very close friend die suddenly only 36 and i cried big time ~ my dog got up close and was licking the tears off my face with a look that just told me he knew i was completely devasted, and it was very comforting at the time.

I know dogs licking faces is a bit yukk but it was a lovely moment for me and my buddy.

We a had a dog years ago that always knew if someone wasn’t well because it would go to that person and lay or sit next to them.

Well at least it ended well.

Yes, dogs know a lot more than we can ever imagine. Sorry to hear of the death of your close friend. :(