Dogs are known for their close bonds with their owners, and it’s believed they can recognise whether a human really loves them. It’s all down to their use of one of their heightened senses
Dog lovers are getting emotional after discovering the subtle way dogs can sense whether their owners love them or not. Dogs, known for their loyalty and devotion to their owners, are a top choice of pet for millions of people across the UK.
Despite their closeness and deep connection to humans, they actually process the world very differently to us. Their senses, particularly their sense of smell, are far superior to ours, with Pet MD revealing that dogs have “about 300 million scent receptors compared with a human’s six million”.
It’s commonly believed that dogs can “smell” when a human loves them due to these heightened physical senses, which allows them to perceive things we can’t. This impacts how they interpret our feelings towards them.
Dogs are believed to be able to “sense” a human’s mood because their “senses are so heightened”, enabling them to “detect” the physical and emotional “signals” a human is exhibiting.
A popular TikTok video recently shed light on how this might translate into dogs recognising feelings of love from their human companions.
The short clip features an adorable puppy snuggled up with their owners, with overlaid text reading: “I found out today that dogs can smell when you love them. They sense the increase in oxytocin – the ‘love hormone’ – in your brain, and it makes them feel happy as well”.
In the comments section, people were keen to share their thoughts. One person said: “Love is literally in the air”.
Another said: “so the last time he saw me he knew I loved him right”.
A third said: “So she knows how much I love her? Oh good”.
Someone else shared: “I lost my sweet boy 6 months ago and knowing he would have known how much I loved him helps heal my heart a little”.
Another commented: “My life got better now I know this”.
And another said: “no cause immediately when I see my dog I get so excited to see her and she immediately gets excited”.
One TikTok user confessed: “I love my dogs more than anything and I’m sure they know it”.
But another said: “they are highly tuned to your sense like body language, heart rate, behaviour etc they can’t directly smell it unfortunately”.
And another joked: “I feel like my chihuahua doesn’t smell anything except food”.
Owning a dog is a serious, long-term responsibility that requires significant commitment. They need ongoing care, regular exercise, constant attention and plenty of love.
If you’re considering getting a pet dog, ensure you conduct thorough research beforehand as not all breeds suit first-time or novice owners. Proper training is frequently vital as well.
Think about the advantages of adopting or rescuing a puppy or adult dog from an animal sanctuary or charity, instead of purchasing directly from a breeder.
