Dogs really do know when their humans are having a rough time. In fact, hey use a variety of signals to figure it out, writes Amanda Mull. Your pet can tell when you have the sniffles and domestic dogs have shown an aptitude for detecting both minute mood fluctuations and serious physical conditions.
Dogs are preternaturally sensitive to changes in their people,” says Alexandra Horowitz, Ph.D. “If a person is infected with a virus or bacteria, they will smell different.”
Horowitz discusses olfactory and behavioral cues dogs may interpret in owners and how these are expressed in the owner-dog relationship.
Source: The Atlantic, March 12, 2019. Link.
Dogs have exponentially more powerful senses of smell than humans: They can have as many as 300 million olfactory receptors in their nose, as opposed to a paltry 6 million for the average person.