Dogs experience emotional contagion from the smell of human stress, leading them to make more 'pessimistic' choices, new research finds. The University of Bristol-led study, published in Scientific Reports on 22 July, is the first to test how human stress odors affect dogs' learning and emotional state.
Your dog recognises you’re trying your best, and is there for you, in the same way that you are there for your dog — one of the reasons dogs evolved to be so in tune with human stress is because often they’re more than pets, they’re our partners.