There’s nothing quite like the bond between humans and dogs. Not only are they the very best playmates and snuggle buddies, but dogs are also excellent sources of comfort when we’re feeling down. A sweet lick here, a gentle paw on the knee there… It’s no wonder we turn to our doggos in times of distress. But are our pooches actually reading our emotions or do we just think they are? Do dogs know when you are sad?
We know that dogs are very much capable of reading our facial expressions and sensing we’re in danger. But let’s dive a little deeper into their power to detect sadness.
Do dogs know when you are sad?
Anecdotally, we can probably all agree that our puppers know when we’re feeling sad. If we show signs of sadness – crying, irritability, retreating, or sleeping excessively – our dogs may respond by cuddling up to us or trying to initiate play.
As it turns out, our suspicion is correct. There have been numerous experiments that have confirmed that dogs can read our emotions, including when we’re sad. Interestingly, outside of humans, this ability is quite unique to dogs.
Having said that, this skill is somewhat rudimentary. You see, dogs sense our emotions in a similar way to very small children. They pick up on certain cues and deduce that we must be experiencing negative feelings, even though they’re not necessarily certain of what these feelings are. In essence, while they may not understand that it’s sadness per se, they can certainly tell that something is off.
How do dogs know when you are sad?
So, if your pupper can indeed recognise negative feelings, how do they actually do it?
A 2016 study by the University of Lincoln in the UK found that dogs combine two senses – sight and hearing – to detect positive and negative emotions in humans. That is, they can distinguish certain facial expressions and sound indicators to discern when we’re sad.
As part of the study, the researchers showed dogs images of happy/playful and angry/aggressive expressions in both humans and dogs. The images were paired with sounds that conveyed these emotions.
The outcome was that dogs spent more time looking at images that matched the sounds. This indicates that dogs use both senses to perceive emotion. It’s a skill the researchers say was only previously observed in primates, but one that’s not entirely unexpected. We’ve been domesticating dogs for thousands of years. So, it’s little surprise dogs have developed the capacity to pick up on emotional cues.
What will your dog do when you’re sad?
You may notice that when you’re sad, your dog just knows exactly what to do. Some of the ways that dogs respond to their Owners when they’re upset include:
- Attempting to kickstart playtime. If they think you’re down, your dog may try to distract you with something fun
- Providing comfort. Your dog may prefer to stay close to you because they know you need it. They might snuggle up to you, lick you, offer a comforting paw, or simply lie down next to you
- Staying away. Alternatively, your dog may want to give you space. They could perhaps sense that you need a bit of room to process your emotions, then return once they feel you’re OK
All of these reactions could very well be an indicator of empathy in dogs. A 2012 study from the University of London suggested that dogs may actually be able to show empathy. The researchers found that the dogs involved in the study were more likely to approach people who were crying than those who were humming or talking. This revealed that the dogs were responding to particular emotions, not just curiosity.
However, it’s worth noting that the study isn’t definitive. Scientists still haven’t concluded whether or not dogs have the ability to show empathy. In fact, some dogs may not react to sadness at all. While they might still know you’re experiencing negative emotions, it’s not a given that they’ll do anything in response.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. Sometimes just having your dog around can be enough to make you feel better!
Can dogs read other emotions?
Dogs are incredibly intuitive creatures who can pick up on all kinds of emotions. While detecting sadness comes down to their capacity to read facial cues and identify sounds, they use other abilities to sense different emotions.
Dogs can tell when we’re angry, anxious or fearful, or disappointed. They might rely on facial expressions, sounds, and even body language to spot these feelings.
If we’re stressed, they can detect surges of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. In a similar vein, they can recognise the happiness hormones – dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin – when we’re in a good mood.
Dogs use their sense of smell to notice hormonal changes, and in fact can even use this skill to know if someone is pregnant or menstruating. Impressively, this ability isn’t just limited to the people they know well; they can even comprehend the emotional state of strangers, guests, or their favourite local Dog Walker. What truly amazing creatures!
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Dogs are far more intuitive than people realize and form lifelong bonds with their owners.
Previous scientific thought has suggested dogs can respond to their owner crying, purely through the sounds.
A study in 2019 said dogs manipulate their facial expressions to better communicate with humans.
However, other discussions have suggested dogs can go even further to notice their owners' anguish.
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Do Dogs Know When You're Sad?
A study in 2016 from the University of Lincoln, U.K., suggested dogs can recognize human emotions.
In the research, 17 domestic dogs listened to sounds paired with images in different combinations, showing positive or negative emotional expressions.
According to Science Daily, the dogs spent a great deal longer looking at facial expressions when the image and sounds matched, both for human and canine subjects, suggesting the dogs understood the emotions being shown.
Researcher Dr. Kun Guo said: "Previous studies have indicated that dogs can differentiate between human emotions from cues such as facial expressions, but this is not the same as emotional recognition.
"Our study shows that dogs have the ability to integrate two different sources of sensory information into a coherent perception of emotion in both humans and dogs.
"To do so requires a system of internal categorization of emotional states.
"This cognitive ability has until now only been evidenced in primates and the capacity to do this across species only seen in humans."
Another study in 2018, by researcher Emily Sanford, senior study author Julia Meyers-Manor and others at Ripon College, Wisconsin, showed that not only do dogs know when you are sad, but they also want to save their owners.
In the study, 34 dogs and owners were separated, and owners placed behind a clear door where they had to ask for help every 15 seconds, between which they would either cry or hum a tune.
Their cry for help was to be asked in either monotone or distressed voices, to see if dogs could recognize when their owners were in trouble.
The study showed dogs seemed to understand when their owners were in peril, and ran to their aid, even opening a closed door to get to their owners.
Meyers-Manor told Live Science: "Dogs want to be with their owners, so even in our condition where the dogs were exposed to humming, they still, about half the time, went to their owners.
"It seems like the dogs [who didn't go through the door] would get more and more stressed by the crying but that they then sort of became paralyzed and [were] not able to do anything."
It is clear, therefore, that dogs respond to their owners' upset and distress, and understand our emotions, both visibly and audibly.
How Do Dogs Show Affection?
According to Sanford, the study proves the science behind some ways in which dogs show affection, including "licking their face" and coming to their owners' rescue.
In a statement, Sanford added: "Every dog owner has a story about coming home from a long day, sitting down for a cry and the dog's right there, licking their face.
"In a way, this is the science behind that.
"Dogs have been by the side of humans for tens of thousands of years and they've learned to read our social cues...
"Dog owners can tell that their dogs sense their feelings. Our findings reinforce that idea, and show that, like Lassie, dogs who know their people are in trouble might spring into action."
There are many other ways for dogs to show their affection, including guarding their owners, getting visibly excited when hearing their name and by "herding."
Michelle L. Szydlowski, veterinary technician and an anthrozoology instructor at Beacon College in Leesburg, Florida, told Insider: "Herding is a way of showing affection for the 'pack.'
"For example, if someone in the family or another pet steps off the sidewalk, some dogs will herd the wayward member back onto the sidewalk and safety."
She added: "Some dogs will lick your head and face desperately if they think you are unconscious or unresponsive."
How Do Dogs Communicate?
Other than showing their affection in these ways, dogs also use non-physical communication, notably their eyes.
According to research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, dogs have evolved and adapted to have muscles specifically for communication with humans, compared to other similar animals like wolves.
Researchers told USA Today: "The movement makes the eyes appear bigger, hence more infant-like and potentially more appealing to humans.
"This inner brow raise also resembles a facial movement humans produce when they are sad, potentially eliciting a nurturing response from humans."
It seems as well as barking, showing physical affection and leaping in to save their owners, puppy-dog eyes also have a clear goal to help dogs connect more with their owners.