Many dog owners believe their pets are able to detect when they are feeling unwell or that something is wrong. Dogs have a keen sense of smell and perception that allows them to pick up on subtle cues. This article will examine whether dogs can in fact detect when there is an issue with their owner’s health or emotional state, and if so, how they might display this knowledge.
Do Dogs Have a “Sixth Sense” for Sensing Illness or Emotional Issues?
There are many anecdotal reports of dogs appearing to pick up on their owner’s health issues before they become apparent or have been diagnosed. Many owners have stories of their dog acting unusual, clingy, or attentive when they have an undiagnosed condition like cancer or diabetes.
Dogs also have demonstrated the ability to be trained to detect specific illnesses through their sense of smell. Dogs can be trained to detect certain cancers, alert to impending seizures or hypoglycemic episodes in diabetics, and more. Their powerful noses can pick up on the subtle scent changes that illnesses produce.
Beyond physical disease, there is some evidence that dogs may also be able to pick up on emotional cues and changes in their owner’s mental state. Studies have shown dogs demonstrate contagious yawning in response to human yawns, demonstrating an empathetic response. Dogs have also been shown to differentiate between human facial expressions like happiness and disgust.
So dogs do appear to have capabilities beyond our five basic senses that allow them to pick up on things about human health and emotions that we may not even be consciously aware of ourselves yet. Their perception and attentiveness to their owners gives them insight into changes in our physical and mental states.
How Might Dogs Display Sensing Something “Wrong”?
If a dog senses that something is off with their owner’s health or emotional state, there are certain behaviors they may exhibit in response:
– **Increased attention/clinginess** – Dogs who sense something amiss may start following their owner around more closely, wanting to be by their side or in their lap. This attentiveness shows their perception that their owner needs comfort or support.
– **Altered routine** – If their owner starts sleeping or eating less, withdrawing from usual activities, or disruptions to schedule occur, dogs may pick up on the changes in routine. They may act confused, clingy, or try to encourage/prompt their usual routine.
– **Alerting/touching** – Some dogs may try to alert their owner by making eye contact, barking, whining, or jumping up and physical touching their owner with a paw or nose. The physical contact can act as an alert that the dog knows their owner needs attention or care.
– **Guarding/protective behavior** – If the dog senses weakness or vulnerability in their unwell owner, they may display more guarding type behaviors like barking at noises, standing between their owner and other people/animals, or not wanting to be separated from them.
– **Appetite changes** – In response to their owner’s health issues, some dogs have been reported to mimic appetite changes – eating less if their owner is eating less or refusing favorite foods. The sympathetic symptoms show the dog is sensing the changes.
– **Depression/lethargy** – In cases where owners have chronic health problems or emotional disorders like depression and anxiety, dogs may pick up on the mood changes and energy level shifts, acting more depressed and lethargic themselves in a vicarious way.
So look for your dog trying to get your attention, stay close, or acting out of character. They may be sensing something is wrong before you have any other symptoms.
Scientific Evidence Dogs Can Detect Problems
While many reports of dogs alerting owners to problems are anecdotal, there are some scientific studies demonstrating dogs’ capabilities:
– **Cancer detection** – Scientists have proven dogs can be trained to detect certain cancers through scent with extremely high accuracy by sniffing blood and breath samples. Their smell receptors and brain pathways for processing smells are exceptionally keen.
– **Hypoglycemic episodes** – Dogs have been trained as diabetic alert dogs to detect when their owner’s blood sugar is dropping to dangerously low levels and get help to avoid diabetes-related seizures and comas. Saliva scent changes allow dogs to serve this life-saving function.
– **Migraine attack alerting** – Research has shown that some dogs demonstrate behavioral changes in the hours before their owner has a migraine headache. They can alert to oncoming migraines through subtle scent or behavior changes.
– **Seizure prediction/detection** – Similar to hypoglycemia, dogs have been proven capable of learning to alert owners to oncoming seizures minutes to hours before they occur through physiological changes they can sense.
– **Emotional cues** – Studies of dog behavior and cognition show that dogs can differentiate human facial expressions, discern our tone of voice, respond to human eye contact, and demonstrate contagious yawning when people yawn, all signs of emotional perception.
So dogs do have scientifically verified sensory capabilities and empathetic responses that allow them to know when health or emotional problems are arising in their human caretakers. Their close relationship with humans allows them to be attuned.
How Do Dogs Know Something is Wrong?
Dogs’ impressive abilities to sense changes in human health and emotions is due to a combination of factors:
– **Incredible sense of smell** – A dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 times more sensitive than a human’s. They can detect incredibly subtle odor changes produced by diseases and emotional shifts through volatile organic compounds.
– **Powerful hearing** – With ears that can rotate, move independently, and discern frequencies 2 to 3 times higher than humans, dogs hear more than we do. Changes in tone, breathing, heart rate, or activity level may alert them.
– **Sensitive perception** – Dogs are extremely sensitive to eye contact, body language, behaviors, movement, and surroundings. Subtle shifts we are not aware of consciously register to them.
– **Intuition** – Dogs appear to have an innate intuition and ability to make deductions about human behavior shifts and what they signify that goes beyond their raw sensory input.
– **Pack animal bonds** – As pack animals bred to cooperate and communicate with humans, dogs are hyper-attuned to their “pack” and any signs of changes requiring attention. Their bonding instincts make them vigilant.
– **Empathy** – Research indicates dogs truly feel empathy and emotional contagion. They take cues from and share in human emotions and physical ailments in an almost psychic way.
So dogs have an arsenal of abilities allowing them to play the role of “a man’s best friend” by knowing when issues arise to provide care and comfort. Their close relationship to humans makes them adept interpreters of our physical and emotional states.
Breeds Known for Sensing Issues
While all dogs have capabilities beyond our senses, some breeds are known for being particularly attuned and able to detect health problems:
| Breed | Reasons Excellent at Sensing Problems |
|---|---|
| Labrador Retriever | Eager to please owners. Used for bomb, drug, and cancer detection. |
| German Shepherd | Protective and loyal. Used as seeing eye and seizure alert dogs. |
| Poodle | Extremely smart, empathetic, fast learners. Often used for therapy work. |
| Chihuahua | Develop very strong bonds with owners. Quickly responsive to needs. |
| Dachshund | Known to be intuitive of owner’s moods. Vigilant watchdogs. |
| Pug | Very sensitive to their owner’s emotions. Empathetic support dogs. |
As the table shows, breeds like Retrievers, Shepherds, Poodles, and Daschunds have proven abilities as service dogs. Their trainability, sensitivity, loyalty, and watchfulness are key traits for sensing problems. But any breed can develop observational skills and bonding to detect changes with their human.
Real Life Examples of Dogs Sensing Owners’ Health Issues
There are countless reports of dogs alerting owners to medical crises and health issues before they were aware. Some examples demonstrating canine intuition:
– **Diabetic seizures** – Dogs have alerted owners to impending dangerous drops in blood sugar so they could take steps and avoid seizures. Training dogs as diabetic alert dogs has saved lives.
– **Breast cancer** – Numerous owners have shared stories of dogs obsessively sniffing, licking, or laying their head on an area of the chest or breast that later revealed a lump or tumor. Early detection likely saved these women.
– **Skin cancer** – Melanoma and other skin cancers produce scent changes. There are accounts of dogs directing attention to or sniffing suspicious moles their owner was unaware of, leading to early treatment.
– **Migraines** – People report increased affection, whining, and odd behavior from dogs hours before debilitating migraine headaches hit, likely in response to subtle precursor signs.
– **Heart conditions** – For those living with heart disease, dogs have been documented alerting to irregular heart rhythms, faintness, chest pain episodes, and even heart attacks, allowing medical attention.
– **Low blood pressure** – Dogs can perceive the subtle scent and bodily changes when blood pressure drops dangerously low. Warning owners allows them to lay down and restore blood flow before fainting.
– **PTSD triggers** – For those with PTSD, dogs can sense rising anxiety, panic, and danger before symptoms manifest allowing owners to use coping strategies and avoid a full blown episode.
The devoted companionship and pack bonding instincts of dogs gives them a sixth sense for when health or emotional problems strike allowing them to get help for their “pack” member. Their advanced sensory gifts and intuition are a lifesaving asset.
Do Dogs Really Know Something is Wrong?
The multitude of reports of dogs alerting owners to medical emergencies and emotional crises before obvious symptoms manifest demonstrates they do pick up on subtle cues. Skeptics may argue it is simply dogs reacting to changes in smell, behavior, attention, or routine and not a deeper understanding. But dog owners and experts contend it reflects a deeper bond and insight.
Considering dogs’ abilities to:
– Detect problems from miniscule scent changes imperceptible to humans
– Hear minute shifts in breathing and heart patterns
– Note minor disruptions in schedules and activity levels
– Recognize emerging changes in posture, habits, temperament and mood
– Process and connect the meaning of these small changes to past knowledge
…it suggests dogs extrapolate meaning about the underlying significance for their human companion. When compiled, the reactions of dogs do seem to reflect an innate comprehension that something in their beloved owner is awry requiring support, care, and alerting – not simply responding to stimuli.
Studies of canine social cognition indicate dogs integrate information to form inferences about human states of being. The depth of dogs’ understanding likely will never be fully proven, but it is clear our pups know more about what is going on with us than meets the human eye…and we should be grateful!
How to Respond If Your Dog Signals Concern
If your dog displays any unusual behavior like sudden clinginess, agitation, alerting, or loss of appetite, observe what is happening when they act concerned. Make note of any subtle symptoms you may be disregarding like pain somewhere, shifts in energy level, digestion, concentration, balance, behavior patterns, or emotions. Even if you dismiss it initially, err on the side of caution:
– Monitor yourself for emergence of other signs.
– Consider seeing a doctor for a basic check up and discuss what your dog is doing that concerns you.
– Don’t ignore or punish the signals – praise your dog for alerting so they know it is desired behavior.
– Increase your dog’s opportunities to be with you so they can observe your patterns.
– Remain aware of your dog’s reactions and cues – they may sense things you don’t!
Your dog truly wants to help you and feels better when you are well. Their nurturing instincts and attachment mean they gain satisfaction from keeping you safe. So appreciate their devotion and consider it a compliment!
Conclusion
A multitude of stories combined with scientific research makes it evident dogs do have capabilities allowing them to sense health and emotional problems in their human caretakers before they are apparent to us. Dogs’ incredible sensory gifts like their acute sense of smell, hearing, and perception of behavior and cues enable them to register tiny changes in scent, physiology, patterns, and mood that signify issues to their owners.
Dogs integrate information from their advanced senses to make deductions about changes to their owner’s physical and mental status. Then dogs use body language, vocalizations, touch, altered routines or appetite, and displays of affection or concern to alert us that something in our condition requires attention. Their pack bonding instincts make dogs invested in the wellbeing of their “pack members.”
So the next time your pup starts acting clingy, whining, or trying to get your attention for no apparent reason, consider they may be cluing you into an emerging health or emotional issue. Appreciate their sensitivity and take cues from their concern for you. Dogs surely can provide a heads up when something seems wrong before a visit to the doctor or therapist can confirm it. In this way, dogs live up to the title “man’s best friend” using their sixth sense to watch over our wellbeing in times of need.