A study found that dogs can smell human stress and make decisions based on it. The research involved 18 dogs and their owners, who were asked to give a speech and do math tasks while being recorded for stress levels. The dogs were then given food bowls with different scents and were trained to recognize the position and contents of the bowls.
The study found that when the dogs smelled the scent of stressed humans, they became more pessimistic and hesitant to approach ambiguous situations. This suggests that dogs can pick up on human emotions and make decisions accordingly.
The lead author, Dr. Zoe Parr-Cortes, said that this study highlights how in-tune dogs are at picking up on mood. She suggested that keeping a positive relationship with your dog through happy engagement is the best way to have a good relationship and a happy dog.
Another expert, Molly Byrne, noted that there’s still much we don’t know about how dogs perceive things, but this study confirms that dogs might be less likely to think a reward is coming if they know their human is in a bad mood. She emphasized the importance of keeping stress levels low for both humans and dogs.
The study’s findings suggest that approaching situations while stressed can have a negative effect on dog learning and behavior. It also highlights the importance of considering how our emotions may affect our dogs, and vice versa.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2024/07/23/nx-s1-5049543/dogs-stress-smell-study-emotions-decisions