Signs Your Dog can Smell Human Hormones
Dogs are very in-tune with their environments and their humans. While our behaviors may hint to our pups that something has changed, our dogs are fully capable of sniffing changes in our bodies as well. This may sound unbelievable, but our canine companions have the ability to sense changes in blood sugar levels, detect oncoming epileptic fits, narcolepsy, and allergic reactions, among many other incredible sensations. Because of this, dogs are now being trained as medical detection “assistants” in order to alert their handlers to a medical crisis before it happens!
Like humans, dogs also exhibit changes in behavior when they smell something fishy. There are a number of signs you will be able to identify by analyzing your pups behaviors if your pooch detects a hormonal change.
For instance, a dog may raise its nose and tilt its head when trying to concentrate on sounds and smells in the environment around them. Or, a dog may be relaxed and alert. If intrigued by a new scent, expect a busy sniffer and a tail that is held high and not wagging.
When us humans are feeling scared, mad, or sad, our bodies may produce certain hormones, such as adrenaline. So it should come as no surprise that dogs can smell scents from these hormones and other chemicals that are released throughout our bodies. Just be sure to look out for uncharacteristic behavior in your pup. Uncommon smells and changes in the environment may distress your loving pooch. If your dog becomes more vocal, agitated, or stressed, something might be off.
Signs that your fur-baby can sense a hormonal change may include:
More cues that your pooch smells your hormones may include:
Signs Your Dog Senses Your Hormones
You might not have known it before, but lots of animals are able to detect when your hormones are changing or balancing out – and that includes your pup. Your dog, with his or her keen sense of smell, is able to detect menstruation and other changes by both odor and hormonal levels.
Sure, your dog probably doesnt fully understand what those things mean, but they do know that something different is going on than usual.
Your dog will probably let you know they can detect a difference by giving you a pretty obsessive dose of sniffing and licking. Thats right, you can expect your dog to get all up in your business – speaking of which, you can probably expect that your dog will get up close and personal with some of your hormonal zones, so keep a lookout for doggo snouts trying nose into places they dont belong.
Your dog also might try to give you extra comfort and love – they might nuzzle up with you, give you kisses, or just try to be closer to you than normal because theyre detecting a physiological and hormonal shift.
Here are a few signs your dog might be giving you to signal that he or she knows youre dealing with some hormonal shifts:
Your dog might be behaving in these ways as well:
“New research conducted by scientists at Lund University in Sweden and Lorand University in Hungary have discovered that dogs actually have sensory cells at the ends of their noses that act as sort of infrared sensors,” says Jones. “These cells allow them to detect (or essentially smell) very minute changes in temperature.” This will alert the dog to when people, other dogs, or even predators are nearby. Check out our ranking of the 20 smartest dog breeds.
Dogs have an extraordinary ability to track down people by smell, which is why they are used in missing person searches. “Trained search and rescue dogs can follow a scent from footstep to footstep, and can even catch scents in the air,” says Dan Morris from PetNPat. “This is invaluable to us in the task of locating those who are lost because we simply have nowhere near the same capabilities.” Some breeds of dogs are better than others at tracking people, but because of dogs’ olfactory abilities that have adapted over time to ensure their survival, their ability is always better than humans. Learn more fun facts about dogs that you may not have known.
Dogs are able to detect a change in blood glucose levels just from a person’s breath which can be especially crucial to those with diabetes. There are even dogs that are specially trained to assist those with severe diabetes to warn them when their glucose levels drop too low. Next, see how these dogs used their sense of smell and their other superpowers to save their owner’s life.
“Scientists have confirmed that dogs can smell cancer in its early stages, specifically lung and breast cancer,” explains pet expert Peter Laskay. The cancerous tumor produces proteins that dogs can smell in urine. They can sense several types of cancer including lung cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. Dogs even help out in clinics during the early stages of diagnostics. See what your dog wishes you knew about them.
It’s true! Cindy Otto, Director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Working Dog Center, is currently training eight Labrador Retrievers to sniff out COVID-19. If the study is successful, dogs will be able to screen people for coronavirus in airports, hospitals, and other public gathering spots. While these dogs won’t serve as a replacement for tests, they can be used as a non-invasive alternative similar to how dogs are currently used to sniff for explosives in airports, yet we still have to go through security. Check out some other canine heroes who saved their owner’s life.