In a test to see if dogs can identify material that has been exposed to breath and sweat from stressed humans, they got it right around 94 per cent of the time
Is that stress I can smell?
Getty Images/Moment RF/Fernando Trabanco
Dogs can smell the difference between stressed and relaxed humans from their sweat and breath alone. The finding could be used to inform training programs for service dogs.
When we are stressed, our body responds with a host of physical changes. Our heart rate jumps, we get clammy and the cocktail of chemicals in our sweat and saliva changes. Previous studies have found that dogs can smell things like fear, covid-19 and cancer in humans. Clara Wilson at Queen’s University Belfast in the UK …