How Human Emotion Affects Dogs

History

• For an estimated 15,000 years, dogs have shared their lives with humans, according to Archaeology magazine. In fact, Discovery News reports, the burial site of a male dog in Siberia dating back 7,000 years suggests he was revered by the people he lived with. Dogs have been bred for human companionship for so long, Discovery News says, that it's believed they are "hard-wired" to respond to human emotion.

Reading Emotions

• Regardless of what we're feeling -- joy, sadness or stress -- dogs can sense it, according to dog trainer Cesar Millan. Dogs are able to read our emotions because they pay close attention to our voices and movements.

  Generally speaking, dogs like to keep things on an even keel. Extreme behaviors such as shouting or using excessive ̶0;baby talk̶1; toward the dog can be interpreted as signs of instability. A dog who senses his environment is unstable might show signs of stress. Typical symptoms of stress in dogs include whining, pulling back the ears or corners of the mouth, and excessive yawning.

Sadness

• Sadness is a human emotion that appears to have a strong impact dogs. A study released by the Goldsmiths University of London in 2012 found that dogs take special notice when someone appears to be crying.

  During an experiment involving 18 dogs of varying ages and breeds, many of the dogs approached or looked at people who pretended to cry. That was true even if the people were strangers, according to Department of Psychology researchers Deborah Custance and Jennifer Mayer. Fewer dogs noticed when people made unusual humming sounds, and none of the dogs responded to people carrying on casual conversations. The study concluded that, since the dogs responded to people's emotions, they are probably capable of feeling empathy.

Controversy

• Suggesting that dogs can feel and read our emotions has caused controversy in some circles. It implies that dogs understand the meaning of our emotions.

  According to Modern Dog magazine, not everyone believes dogs have emotions. Some of that thinking is based on religious debates over whether dogs have souls. Science has shown, however, that dogs have brain structures, hormones and chemical reactions to emotions that are much like humans'. All of this is not to say dogs feel every emotion the same way we do. But any person who has come home to a four-legged friend with a wagging tail and a happy face will tell you that love is a universal emotion.