A study has highlighted that the stress experienced by dog owners is affecting their pets as well. The research published last week, by Scientific Reports, demonstrates that dogs can smell human stress, which in turn impacts their mood.
Dogs and humans have been companions for around 30,000 years. This duration is sufficient for them to become emotionally co-regulating cohabitants on a genetic level. Prior studies have shown that dogs are adept at interpreting verbal and visual cues, as well as detecting physical and mental illnesses in people. Now, researchers can add human stress to the list of dogs' impressive sensory skills.
“For thousands of years, dogs have learned to live with us, and a lot of their evolution has been alongside us. Both humans and dogs are social animals, and there’s an emotional contagion between us,” explained Zoe Parr-Cortes, lead study author and a Ph.D. student at Bristol Veterinary School at the University of Bristol, in an interview with LiveScience.
The study involved 18 dogs and 11 human volunteers with little prior experience with dogs. The volunteers underwent a series of stress-inducing and stress-relieving tests, after which sweat samples were collected. This ensured no familiarity between the dogs and the humans before the experiment.
Through tests designed to lure dogs into swiping snacks from pet food bowls, scientists discovered that the scent of stressed sweat often distracted dogs from finding the treats. The findings suggested that dogs anticipated more pessimistic outcomes when following the scent of stress.
“Being able to sense stress from another member of the pack was likely beneficial because it alerted them of a threat that another member of the group had already detected,” Parr-Cortes said.
