Dogs Can Smell Human Stress
Key Vocabulary
a worried or tense feeling
A difficult test can cause stress.
to notice something with your nose
Dogs can smell many things very well.
a small amount used for a test
The scientists collected a sweat sample.
not worried or excited
The person was calm before the test.
careful study to learn new information
More research can help us understand dogs.
Article
Dogs have a very strong nose. A study in the UK tested dogs and human stress. [1]
People gave breath and sweat samples. They gave one sample when calm. They gave another after a difficult math task.
Four trained dogs smelled the samples. The dogs often found the stress sample. Their total accuracy was about 94 percent. [1]
The dogs did not see the people. They did not hear them. They only smelled the samples. This suggests stress changes human smell. [2]
Another UK study found something more. The smell of a stressed person may also change how dogs act and make choices. [3]
These were small studies. Scientists need more research. But the results show how important smell is in the relationship between people and dogs.
More Discussion Questions
- 2.How do dogs help people in your country?
- 5.What would you like scientists to study about dogs?
References
- Wilson et al., "Dogs can discriminate between human baseline and psychological stress condition odours," PLOS ONE. Source
- Queen's University Belfast, "Stress has an odour and dogs can smell it - new research." Source
- University of Bristol, "Smell of human stress affects dogs' emotions leading them to make more pessimistic choices." Source
- Parr-Cortes et al., "The odour of an unfamiliar stressed or relaxed person affects dogs' responses to a cognitive bias test," Scientific Reports. Source
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