Does My Dog Know When I am Upset? Do Dogs Feel Empathy? Does my Anxiety make my Dog Anxious As Well?

To answer this question shortly, yes. Dogs can tell when their owners are upset; but they can do so much more than just that. Service dogs have been trained to tell when someone is having a panic attack. There are dogs that have been trained to detect cancer, bombs, and diabetic episodes. Dogs have been working along side of people for more than 30,000 years. They live in our homes and join our families. They might be better at telling when we are upset than some of the other people in our lives.

During a few overnight stays, I’ve noticed some other things dogs can understand and pick up on. One of my favorite things I observed was that dogs can tell when someone or another dog is bluffing. I had the fortunate experience of one of my favorite clients, Bella, the German Shepard Black Lab mix, for a sleepover. She brought along her Aunt Maddie, and older mixed breed. Bella loves my dog Roxie and her aunt Maddie. Roxie and Maddie hate Bella. They will snarl and snap at her as if they are threatening to bite her. I watched as Bella put her ears back happily, licking Roxie’s face as Roxie snarled and snapped and barked her disdain, trying to shove Bella away from her. She did the same to Maddie. At first, I thought maybe Bella was a bit bad on picking up social cues or that maybe Bella was trying to appease their anger with her kisses. But then I had Bella assist me with a different client who was snapping at her, but instead she started snapping back. As the two angry dogs growled and snapped at each other through the fence, I realized that Bella could tell when a dog meant their threat and when a dog was all bark and no bite. To the average person, you would compare the dog on the other side of the fence to what Roxie and Maddie were trying to display and say they looked the same, but Roxie would not actually bite a dog, I know that she wouldn’t and in that moment I realized that Bella also knew that she wouldn’t. I then realized that Bella was not dumb, but disrespectful to her elders and if she wanted to give them kisses and annoy them, then she would simply do so.

Dogs can also pick up on anxiety. There are service dogs trained to help someone through panic attacks. Even my dog wakes me up when I’m having a nightmare, and then cuddles with me until I calm down. A lot of people wonder if when they are anxious and walking their dog on a leash, if them being anxious makes their dogs leash reactive. There is definitely some influence of your emotions to your dogs’ emotions when you are on leash, and while it is usually not the only cause for leash reactivity, it definitely doesn’t help. If your dog can tell when you are anxious, and you get anxious when you see another dog; your dog will then pick up on it and try and make you feel better. “Don’t be scared of that dog, Mom! I’ll protect you!” What an excellent job your dog is doing helping you feel less anxious. Does it matter if you are anxious when you see that dog because you are nervous your dog is going to react to them? Of course not! To your dog, you became anxious once that other dog came into view. There is a good chance they do not immediately pick up on your anxiety being their fault in the first place. It is important to train your dog leash handling techniques and tricks to getting their attention on you, but it is also important to stay calm and trust that your dog will listen to you and help you in any way they can. You just need to teach them what it is they can do to help.

Dogs can also pick up on positive emotions as well. They can tell when something makes you happy. Has your dog picked up a silly habit that made you laugh? That’s the fundamentals of good dog training. Your dog wants to make you happy. They can tell when they have done something that has made you happy. Once you start having clear communication with them that what they are doing does in fact make you feel happy, there is a high chance that they will do it more and more. It’s important to help your dog understand what it is that they are doing that is making you happy because while they can tell that it is something that they are doing, they may not be able to tell what it is right away.

Dogs are very empathetic animals. They can tell what you are feeling and can also display a wide range of emotions as well. The next time you ask yourself, “is my dog doing that on purpose?” chances are the answer is yes.