When Dogs Sense Something Wrong

"Stella"
Photo By Laertes

I remember when I was in high school and I had to wake my brother John up for school. John was a natural night owl and getting him up before 7 o'clock in the morning, was like trying to wake a vampire. Every morning without fail, Casey would jump on the bed and bark at me, because he thought I was hurting John. As soon as I stopped, Casey would be fine, but lay a hand on John and again he would give me a piece of his mind. I suppose that Casey was responding to the urgency in my voice, which probably made him feel that my brother was at risk. Therefore, he was needed to protect him.

Earlier this week, I was reacting to a stressful situation that I was trying to work out by talking out loud. As I got more worked up, the more Cookie and Gigi sat there and fixated on what I was saying. They had that look which said they were perplexed yet interested in what I had to say. It was as if I was a schoolteacher and they were my students trying to understand what I was teaching. After it sunk in what was happening, I started laughing. My dogs turned into major stress relievers without having to say anything.

Heightened Effects

Although dogs can't talk, they can sense when we're feeling scared, angry, upset or anxious. It has been said that when humans get emotional, humans emit a scent into the air that dogs will pick up on. If a dog has a particularly strong sense of smell such as a beagle, they will pick up on it and possibly have an even stronger reaction.

It's mysterious and we may never fully understand how they are able to sense when things are awry. It seems like something that's just natural from within them.

Read More About It!

Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals
How Dogs Think by Stanley Coren

Let's Discuss!

Has your dog has an unusual reaction similar to the ones above? Is there anything extraordinary your dog has done in a similar situation?