Can Puppies and Dogs Really Know Human Emotions?

Hello!

This is Kim's Pups, Korean teacup puppy, teacup dog breeder and boutique.

Did you know that dogs put in a lot of effort to understand human language?

Dogs observe our behavior, imitate us, and try to communicate with us in various ways.

 

Ever since the 1800s, scientists have been trying to answer an interesting question:

Do our dogs really understand how we feel?

The conclusion is clear: Dogs can detect and understand human emotions.

According to numerous studies, dogs use multiple senses to detect human emotions.

At Kim’s Pups, we’ve gathered how dogs use their senses to recognize emotions.

 

 

 

1. Sight

Like all mammals, humans and dogs are social animals that communicate and interact with each other.

First off, all mammals (including humans and dogs) express feelings in similar ways.

Just like we can tell when our friend is happy or sad, dogs can tell how we feel by watching our:

• Face expressions (like our smiles)
• Body language (like slumped shoulders when sad)
• Eyes (that's why they love making eye contact!)

 

 

 

 

2. Smell

Dogs' extraordinary sense of smell plays a key role in emotional communication.

Want to know something amazing?

Dogs actually have a superpower - their nose!

They can smell changes in our body when we're:

• Feeling stressed
• Feeling sad
• Even when we're depressed

Isn't that an incredible sense of smell?

Through this, dogs are able to pick up on emotional changes, not just simple smells.

 

 

 

3. Touch

When interacting with humans, dogs can also use touch to understand emotions.

Have you noticed your dog doing these things?

• Leaning against you
• Putting their paw on your leg
• Walking in circles around you

When they do this, they're either trying to understand how you feel or showing you they care!

 

 

 

4. Taste

Humans undergo hormonal changes based on mood and emotional states, and these changes are expressed through sweat or breath.

Dogs can also detect these emotional changes through both smell and taste.

Here's how it works:

Our bodies make different chemicals depending on how we feel.

Our bodies make cortisol when we feel stressed.

When we're happy, we make feel-good chemicals.

Dogs can smell these changes!

When experiencing such emotional shifts, a dog may approach you to lick your hands or face, or sniff you.

This behavior is a result of their heightened sensitivity to these emotional changes.

 

 

 

5. Hearing

What does a dog listen for when trying to understand human emotions?

Dogs are also great listeners.

They pay attention to:

• How our voice sounds
• How fast we talk
• How loud we are
• Even our breathing!

In fact, there is a well-known experiment where a dog’s stress level significantly increased when it heard a person crying.

 

 

 

It’s truly heartwarming to realize that dogs use every sense to understand us.

Studies show dogs understand emotions as well as a 3-4 year old child.

They get the basic feelings like happiness and sadness, but might not understand more complicated feelings like shame or guilt.

Emotions that dogs can feel include anger, stress, excitement, satisfaction, joy, love, disgust, anxiety, doubt, and sadness.

Instead, they empathize by associating those feelings with similar emotions they can comprehend.

 

 

 

In fact, not only do dogs perceive our emotions, but they also offer empathy and comfort.

They truly are powerfully lovable creatures.

That's why dogs are so great at being therapy dogs or guide dogs - they're naturals at understanding how people feel!

When we think about how much effort they put into understanding us, it really shows just how much these furry friends care about us.

Pretty amazing, right?

With that, I’ll conclude today’s post.

 

 

 

Choosing a pet isn’t just about having a cute animal; it’s about creating memories and sharing life as a family.

That’s why it’s important to carefully 'choose' your companion.

At Kim's Pups, we offer personalized one-on-one consultations for people interested in adopting a dog.

We consider your home, lifestyle, and the dog's personality and exercise needs to help you find the best match.

Since welcoming a new family member is such an important step, feel free to reach out for any questions or guidance.

We're here to help! 😊