Dogs can sniff out stress on owner's breath

Image source, Queen's University, Belfast

In a scientific sniffing test, our canine companions proved how much they care about us.

Dogs can smell stress in our bodies.

Four dogs were trained to pick one of the canisters.

They were able to identify a sample of sweat or breath from a stressed person.

The researchers at Queen's University believe their study will help in the training of therapy dogs.

The smell of the world is what dogs experience. Their ability to detect scent is already used to detect drugs, explosives, and diseases.

"We had lots of evidence that dogs can pick up smells from humans that are associated with certain medical conditions or disease, but we don't have much evidence that they can smell differences in our psychological state."

Human volunteers reported their stress levels after they completed a math problem.

If their blood pressure and heart rate had also increased, each can had a sample of their sweat or breath.

The dogs were given a treat if they stood still or sat in front of the sample.

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