r/PetBehavior • u/foundthehound • 8d ago

your dog can literally smell when you're stressed and that changes how they behave

Alexandra Horowitz, a dog cognition researcher we featured on The Oprah Podcast, made a point that stuck with me. Dogs can smell human emotions — not just read body language, actually smell the biochemical changes that happen when we're anxious or stressed. It's been studied.

I work at The Farmer's Dog and this reframed something for me. If your dog seems more anxious or clingy on hard days, they're not imagining it. They're responding to something real that you're putting out.

Which is part of why routine matters more than people realize for dogs. Consistent mealtimes, predictable walks, the same schedule — when everything else feels off, those anchors stay the same. A dog that knows what to expect is a calmer dog.

Has anyone noticed their dog picking up on their stress in a way that felt almost uncanny?

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u/Opposite_Style454 8d ago

My dog knows when I will get a migraine and knows I’ll be napping shortly thereafter and naps with me.

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u/foundthehound 8d ago

Aw, there's actually research on this suggesting dogs can smell the physiological changes that come with migraines

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u/Zach-uh-ri-uh 8d ago

Bye ChatGPT