Your dog can sense your emotions, feelings, and hormonal changes better than you thought. Due to their keen sense of smell, dogs can detect when you’re on your period or experiencing hormone imbalances. But how can you tell if your dog knows, and can you train them to provide comfort during your hormonal swings? Keep reading to find out.
Signs Your Dog Senses Your Hormones
Animals, including dogs, can detect changes in your hormones. Dogs can sense menstruation and other changes through smell and hormonal levels. Although they may not fully understand what it means, they know something is different. Your dog may show this by sniffing and licking you excessively or getting up close to your hormonal zones. They may also provide extra comfort and love due to the physiological and hormonal shift.
Body Language
Your dog may exhibit the following signs to indicate they sense your hormonal shifts: being alert, sniffing, tail up, licking, ears up, tongue hanging, nose wrinkled, and other behaviors like excessive sniffing and licking, invading personal space, and seeking extra comfort and attention.
The History of Dogs’ Sense of Smell
Dogs have been used for their acute sense of smell throughout history. They have been employed in law enforcement, tracking down criminals, detecting drugs, weapons, and even illnesses. Their sense of smell is heightened compared to other domesticated animals. For example, in the 1880s, specially trained Bloodhounds helped track down Jack the Ripper in London. Dogs were also used in World War II to detect mines. Nowadays, dogs can even detect cancer in its early stages.
Science Behind Dogs Sensing Female Hormones
Dogs have an intense sense of smell that surpasses human capabilities. With close to 300 million receptors and a larger olfactory cortex, dogs can detect odors in parts per billion. When our hormones change, micro-chemicals are released, and although we can’t smell these changes, dogs can. So, when your female hormones are fluctuating, your dog can pick up on the small odors released.
Training Your Dog to Sense Hormones
If you’re interested in harnessing your dog’s sense of smell, consider training them to detect certain scents. For more specialized training, seek assistance from certified companies. At home, you can train your dog with a specific toy as a reward. Introduce the toy with the desired scent and associate the two through play and reward. Eventually, hide the toy and scent, rewarding your dog for finding them. Repeat this process until your dog consistently tracks down the scent.
“Embrace your dog’s superpower: their keen sense of smell can detect your hormonal shifts and offer you extra comfort during challenging times.”
Tips & Things to Know
1️⃣ Your dog can sense your hormonal changes: Dogs have a keen sense of smell and can detect changes in your hormones through odor and hormonal levels. They may exhibit behaviors such as obsessive sniffing and licking, nuzzling, or trying to be closer to you than normal.
2️⃣ Look out for body language: Your dog may display certain body language signs to indicate that they are aware of your hormonal shifts. These signs can include being alert, sniffing, tail up, licking, ears up, tongue hanging, and a wrinkled nose.
3️⃣ Dogs have an incredible sense of smell: Dogs have evolved from wolves and have a heightened sense of smell compared to many other animals. They have close to 300 million receptors and can detect certain odors in parts per billion. When your hormones change, micro-chemicals are released, and dogs can pick up on these small odors that humans cannot detect.
Frequently Asked Questions, Answered ✅
1. How can you tell if your dog senses your hormonal changes?
– Your dog may exhibit signs such as sniffing, licking, nuzzling, and giving extra comfort and attention.
2. What are some body language signals that indicate your dog knows about your hormonal shifts?
– Some signs include alertness, tail up, ears up, tongue hanging, nose wrinkled, and excessive sniffing and licking.
3. Why do dogs have a heightened sense of smell compared to other animals?
– Dogs evolved from wolves and have close to 300 million receptors, which allows them to detect certain odors in parts per billion. Their olfactory cortex is also about 40 times larger than that of humans.
4. How can you train your dog to sense certain scents, including hormones?
– You can start by associating a particular toy with a reward and then introducing the scent to the toy. Gradually hide the toy and the scent, rewarding your dog when they find it. Repeat the process until your dog can consistently track down the scent.
5. What are some examples of how dogs’ sense of smell has been utilized throughout history?
– Dogs have been used in law enforcement for hunting, guarding, tracking down criminals, and detecting drugs and weapons. They were even employed in World War II to detect German mines and are now used to detect cancer in its early stages.
