A cynologist told how a dog senses a person's fear

It is believed that animals can pick up the smell of fear and react to similar human behavior. Vladimir Golubev, president of the Russian Cynological Federation, told Izvestia on February 3 how a dog understands that a person is afraid of it.

"First of all, it is worth recalling that dogs do not possess abstract thinking. You should not transfer your logic and perception of emotions to animals. Dogs have a great sense of smell, which they skillfully use. Pets can read emotions by smell. Different physical and mental states change the level of hormones in the human body, this affects the odor that comes from the person. This is what the sensitive nose of a dog picks up," he said.

The Russian Cynological Federation explained that fear causes certain body and organism reactions in humans. For example, a frightened person can become in a certain pose, change his voice, gestures. In addition, when faced with something frightening, people show physiological reactions that are triggered by surges of hormones. The main ones are cortisol, adrenaline, noradrenaline. The human body in a stressful situation begins to smell different. It is to these changes that the animal reacts.

Dogs are known for their sensitive sense of smell, this allows them to recognize not only explosives and narcotic substances, but even molecular markers of various diseases. For example, a specially trained pet can detect by smell the presence of diseases such as coronavirus, malaria, diabetes and even cancer.

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Since the animal can read the signals of the human body, understanding his emotions, it is important to try to remain calm in a situation where the meeting with the pet caused stress, specified in the Cynological Federation. The fact is that it is not always possible to predict the behavior of the dog on the person who is experiencing fear: the pet may not pay attention, withdraw, get nervous or even show aggressive behavior.

It is important not to behave in a threatening manner and not to provoke the dog. Experts advised to try to calm down, do not try to run, wave your hands, do not provoke the pet to conflict. They recommended not to show fear and not to let the dog realize that the person is scared. This will help not to come into conflict with the animal.

January 24 Golubev told about the causes of fear of vacuum cleaner in dogs. So, the pet can be frightened not only by the noise that the device makes, but also by its odors, shape and movements. As the cynologist explained, dogs have hypersensitive eardrums and sounds that do not cause discomfort to humans can strongly affect pets.