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It’s a well known fact that dogs’ senses are more heightened than us humans. But did you know all of the amazing things your dog can sense?
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Pregnancy
Your dog can sense you’re pregnant, even before you can. Their incredible sense of smell means they can smell the tiny hormonal changes your body experiences in the very early stages of pregnancy.
Birth
Even more impressive, dogs can sense when you are close to giving birth. If you’re near the end of your pregnancy and find that your dog is refusing to leave your side, it could be because he has sensed another change in hormones and knows that you will give birth soon. Your pooch feels the need to protect you and will keep as close as possible
Fear
“Don’t be afraid, it will smell your fear” may sound like an old wive’s tale but it’s actually true. Fear results in the release of adrenaline and pheromones which dogs can sense with their incredible sense of smell.
When you’re sad
We’ve all experienced this one. Your dog just appears to know when you’re feeling down and comes to gently place his head on your lap as if to comfort you. They can read your emotions even without you saying or doing anything and they really are trying to make you feel better!
Changes in the weather
Apart from their noses, dogs have very finely tuned hearing and can hear a storm long before it arrives in your area. If your dog seems agitated during bad weather, it could well be because a storm is on the way! They can also sense the static in the air, which can feed into making them nervous and unsettled.
When you’re nearly home
Ever wondered why your dog is already at the window when you arrive outside your house? Before he could possibly have seen you? It’s all down to his superior sniffer again – he can smell you approaching and can hear your footsteps or car long before you think he can.
Diseases
For many years, dogs have been trained as medical assistance dogs to alert their humans when they need to take medication for low blood sugar or need to get to a safe place before a seizure starts. Trials are also being conducted into using dogs to detect certain types of cancer and diseases.
Death
Undetected by humans, there are changes in hormones when someone is close to death. Dogs can smell these changes and know that death is approaching soon.
