1.  Dogs Know When You Are Sad - When you feel sad,

your dog will immediately pick up on this and adjust his

behavior accordingly. He may become more subdued than

usual, lose interest in his toys and even refuse his food.

 

2.  Dogs Can Sense Your Intentions - We’ve all

experienced a dog’s almost psychic ability to sense when

something unpleasant is about to take place. Even before

you turn on the shower or touch his towel, your dog knows

you intend to give him a bath and will immediately run for

cover. The same goes for haircuts, nail trims and

administering medicine.  

 

On the other side, your dog will also understand if your intentions are pure and you are performing the task for his own good.  Most dogs will submit to unpleasant experiences, such as nail trims, if their owner is close by to offer some reassuring words and gentle encouragement.

 

3. Dogs can Sense Any Diseases You May Have - If your dog has been paying particular attention to a certain area of your body, you may want to visit your doctor to make sure everything is okay.  Various studies have confirmed that dogs have the ability to detect certain diseases such as cancer through their keen sense of smell.  A dog’s ability to sense disease comes down to an ability to detect chemicals known as volatile organic compounds or VOCs. VOCs are what allows us to sense odor and though some are toxic, the term generally applies to any chemical that can get into your nose because it is a gas. While humans can detect certain potent VOCs, our limited sense of smell is no match for what dogs can do.

 

Depending on the breed, a dog’s sense of smell can be anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than a human’s. That means that a dog can pick up a scent that is up to 100,000 times weaker than any scent a human can detect.

 

4.  Dogs Understand When You Feel Scared - If you feel scared, your dog will know about it in an instant. A dog’s sensitive nose can pick up on subtle scents, such as adrenalin, that he associates with fear and danger.  If you have a Rottweiler or Doberman, then your burly protector will most likely spring into action and come to your rescue.Smaller dogs, or those with nervous temperaments, will follow your lead and start to feel scared themselves.  

 

Your dog will always look to you for guidance on how to react in certain situations, so if you want your dog to be brave you will have to lead by example.  Fear is an emotion shared by a large number of animals, dogs included. While it is true that dogs can “smell” fear, it is also true that they intuitively understand the body language associated with it.

 

5.  Dogs Know When You Are Being Unfair - Your dog will immediately understand if you are playing favorites.  Many animals have a sense of justice. Chimps, for instance, have a very strong sense of right and wrong and even take pleasure in punishing those who break the rules. Dogs have their own sense of fairness and it results from their social structure.  One reason that dogs understand fairness arises out of their roots as wolves. Researchers have found that, because wolves must coordinate as a pack to hunt, they depend upon rules of fairness to survive.

 

6.  Dogs Understand If You Suddenly Have Other Priorities - Dogs that have spent the vast majority of their lives being spoiled and adored by their owner will understand, to some extent, if attention suddenly shifts to a new priority. A new baby, boyfriend, hobby or even a new pet can lead to feelings of jealousy and resentment from your pampered pooch.  Some dogs have even been known to physically insert themselves between two lovers in order to shift the attention back onto them.  Having pointed out that dogs are able to recognize and cope with shifts in your priorities, remember that they don’t want to be neglected.

 

The most important thing in the life of your pet is you.  Your dog relies on you to feed and care for his most basic needs. To let your dog know that you still care, do your best to keep his routine intact. A disruption in a dog’s routine will not only trigger feelings of jealousy, but will also play on your pet’s sense of justice.

 

7.  Dogs Sense When You Are Angry - Owners that have been with their dog for several years often do not have to utter a single word to show that they are annoyed.  

 

If you come home and find your dog knee-deep in the garbage can, placing your hands on your hips and issuing a disapproving stare is often enough to convey your anger.  When on the receiving end of discipline, a dog will often crouch down, tremble, whine and occasionally lose bladder control.  A recent study found that dogs will display this behavior when reprimanded even if they haven’t actually done anything wrong.

 

It is clear that dogs can sense anger, but it is also clear that they can’t always understand its source.  Dogs often don’t know if you are angry at them or as the result of something else. This can be a disastrous situation because a dog may change his behavior in response to your anger, even if he has done nothing wrong. If this happens often enough, your dog may become frustrated with the lack of consistency in the rules and start to act out. Once again, this harkens back to a dog’s sense of justice.  Your pet will try to please you, but if he feels you are treating him unfairly and that he can do no right, he will start to act out.

 

8. Dogs Know If You Are A Generous Person - Just as we judge other people based on their actions, dogs will also pay attention to how you act toward others.

 

Generosity is about justice as much as it is about kindness. It is also about tone of voice, anger, and all of the things previously discussed. The bottom line is that your dog knows when you are being generous and when you are being stingy.If you are stingy too often, your dog may begin to take things behind your back, act out, or otherwise let you know he is disappointed. Dogs expect reciprocity, they expect kindness, and they expect fairness.  Dogs have a strong moral compass, which is what makes them such outstanding companions. They expect you to live a moral life and will react accordingly.

 

Dogs Know If You Are A Generous Person.  Just as we judge other people based on their actions, dogs will also pay attention to how you act toward others.Generosity is about justice as much as it is about kindness. It is also about tone of voice, anger, and all of the things previously discussed. The bottom line is that your dog knows when you are being generous and when you are being stingy.If you are stingy too often, your dog may begin to take things behind your back, act out, or otherwise let you know he is disappointed. Dogs expect reciprocity, they expect kindness, and they expect fairness. Dogs have a strong moral compass, which is what makes them such outstanding companions. They expect you to live a moral life and will react accordingly.

 

9. Dogs Immediately Know When Your Back is Turned - If you leave food on a table or kitchen counter within reach of your dog, you had better develop eyes in the back of your head if you want it to remain there.Many dogs would not dream of stealing food in front of their owner, but doing it behind their back is another situation entirely.

 

10. Dogs Understand If You Are A Pushover - Some of the more energetic breeds of dog, such as Labradors and Pit bulls, require a firm disciplinarian to reign in their wild behavior.  Larger breeds sometimes don’t understand their own strength and can be dangerous if they suddenly decide to surprise a child or an old person with a hug.  However, just because a dog is well-behaved for its master or trainer does not mean it will act the same way for everyone else.

 

Dogs like to test the boundaries on a regular basis. If they find someone who does not punish them for pulling on the leash, digging up the garden, or eating the garbage, they will take advantage their new-found freedom.  Dogs rely heavily on social hierarchies to determine what they are and are not allowed to do in a setting. If you want your dog to behave, then he or she needs to see you as the alpha in the relationship.

 

11. Dogs Can Sense If A Woman Is Pregnant - While there has been no scientific proof that dogs can sense when a women is expecting, there are hundreds of stories of women who noticed changes in their dog’s behavior during their pregnancy.  Many owners report that their dogs suddenly become much more protective, attentive, and loving.They also report that the dogs begin escorting them everywhere they go. Your dog may also sniff or nuzzle your belly and rest his head on it.  Dogs pick up on hormonal changes, such as when a woman is menstruating, so the ability to sniff out a pregnancy is not so far-fetched.It should come as no surprise that your dog may feel put out by the new bundle of joy in your home.

 

To ensure that dog and baby are happy together, you need to start preparing your canine friend for the new baby as soon as you know you are pregnant.Most experts recommend that you give the pet a special place that belongs only to him, that you take time each day to spend only with your dog, and that you don’t change routine if it you can avoid it. If you must change your dog’s routine, then start early and do it gradually.

 

12. Dogs Know When You Are Taking Them To The Vet - How a dog can tell the difference between a trip to the vet and a car ride to the park is a mystery to humans.  As soon as you load him into the car, your dog will already know what is going on. He may stare worriedly out of the window, pace back and forth, or eye you suspiciously.

 

Once you get to the vets, then most dogs develop a set of anti-lock brakes that makes them impossible to move.  Even if they are visiting a new vet for the first time, as soon as the door opens, they already understand that what is in store isn’t pleasant. A dog knows that he is going to the vet thanks to his sense of smell and his ability to read body language. You probably can’t make a trip to the vet fun for your dog, but you can make it less anxiety-provoking.Most experts recommend that you acclimate your dog to the vet by taking him there on visits (no shots or prodding during these times). You should also “play doctor” with your dog. That means touching him on the pads of his feet, looking in his mouth, and otherwise doing things that a vet would do.

 

13. Dogs Understand When You Are Grieving - How much dogs can understand about death is still not fully understood.There have been many stories of pets grieving for their dead owners, and many have kept up vigils next to their owner’s grave or previous home.  Losing a loved one brings a deep sadness that is very unlike other kinds that result from the breakup of a relationship or disappointment at work. Your dog will understand when you are mourning a loved one and will most likely go through a grieving process of his own. He may become clingier or more attentive. Some dogs have been known to howl when experiencing bereavement. To help your dog deal with grief, start by maintaining his normal routine. Believe it our not, too much affection can be a bad thing. Some dogs will see it as a sign of weakness and take it that they need to assume the alpha role.

 

14. Dogs Know If You Are A Good Person - Good, honest, trustworthy people have an aura of good energy around them.

 

New science suggests that, contrary to what neurologists previously believed, the heart actually has a stronger electromagnetic field than the brain. It also sends messages to the brain, through neurotransmitters, that influence thoughts and behavior.  Dogs will also know if you are a good person based on your body language and how you treat others. If your dealings with others are just and fair, your dog will pick up on that based on how people react to you. Just as the dogs above were drawn to the more generous individuals, dogs are also drawn to those they perceive as more fair or trustworthy.It isn’t entirely clear how dogs make these moral judgments, but it is clear that you need to be consistently fair, both to your dog and to those around you, to let your pet know that you are a good person.

 

15. Dogs Understand When You Do Not Like Someone - When we gaze at something or someone we love, a chemical reaction takes place within our body. Dopamine and serotonin are released into our system and cause a chemical reaction that leads to feelings of happiness, joy, infatuation and ecstasy. The same thing happens when you look at a person you do not like. Except in this case the body releases a completely different set of hormones that are associated with hate, resentment and fear.  Your dog can detect these changes in you, and will most likely begin to dislike the person that caused your reaction.

 

Of course, body language plays a role in whether your pet

thinks you like someone or not. Keep in mind that any dog,

even a gentle dog, may try to protect you from people it

perceives as a threat.If you are avoiding a person, watching

that person closely, or are otherwise sending out signals that

you distrust someone, don’t be surprised if your dog barks,

growls, or lunges at that person if he or she tries to

approach you.