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Dogs can tell when you're happy, sad or frustrated

22 points by wslh ago | 10 comments

delichon |next [-]

My dog usually lies calmly in the back of the car on trips. This morning she sat upright in the passenger seat, staring at me and bumping me with her cold nose. Pretty sure it was because she sensed my nerves at being on the way to a double root canal. But I hadn't noticed it. Now I have to look at my dog to find out how I'm feeling.

nephihaha |root |parent [-]

Dogs are like small children that way. They are like lightning conductors for human emotions. They may not understand what's going on, but they can pick up on it.

rasheed106 |next |previous [-]

Man's best friend is real. Mine was going into his 16th year. Miss him. They are amazing animals. Never any judgment. Pure love.

perfmode |next |previous [-]

It’s a strange baseline when we need proof, and not the other way around.

dcrazy |root |parent [-]

It’s not a bad thing to reinforce our intuition against the risk of incorrect anthropomorphization.

lifestyleguru |previous [-]

Except at strangers, they bark indiscriminately. In case you have trouble reading the feelings of a stranger, almost everytime they hate being barked at.

dcrazy |root |parent |next [-]

I can’t believe I have to say this, but… not all dogs bark at strangers. This is highly breed- and dog-dependent.

chrismatheson |root |parent |previous [-]

Or the owner was nervous of the stranger for some reason and the dog picks up on that and moves into protective mode.

lifestyleguru |root |parent [-]

Person hating being barked at certainly is delighted to conduct extensive analysis which one and who is more nervous and protective.