13 revealing secrets your dog knows about you

I make judgements about you based on your actions. University of Milan researchers had dogs watch some people sharing food with a beggar and other people telling the beggar to leave. Later, when the individuals beckoned the dogs at the same time, the pups overwhelmingly trotted over to the generous people.

When you have negative feelings about a person, I can hear your breathing pattern change, observe your body stiffen slightly, and even smell the subtle pheremones your body emits. So if your in-laws suspect that I don’t like them, it may simply be because, um, you don’t really like them.

You humans are like sponges. You pick up volatile organic compounds from everything you walk by or touch. If you just visited, say, the supermarket, I will smell the butcher and fish counters, the food you bought, and maybe even the people you stood next to at the checkout. I can smell something 100 million times more subtle than the faintest smell you can pick up.

Here are 10 things dogs can smell that humans can’t.

Some of us are being taught to detect different types of cancer by smelling certain chemicals that cancer cells can emit. In some studies, we were 88 percent accurate in detecting breast cancer, and 99 percent accurate in detecting lung cancer.

Look out for these silent signs that your dog is sick.

We’ve learned your schedule, and we know roughly when to expect you back at the house each day. But even if you do get home at an odd hour, I can pick out the sound of your particular car coming down the street, and I am always listening for it.

Even if you don’t yell in front of me, I may notice your clipped tone of voice, the fact that neither of you is speaking, the stiffness of your posture, or the agitated way you’re walking or opening drawers. Some of us get sick to our stomachs when our owners are bickering.

Do I sleep cuddled up next to your bed instead of in my usual spot when your spouse is out of town? Do I stay closer to your leg than normal when we walk through a dark area? I can smell the adrenaline your body releases when you’re scared, and I’m also more vigilant anytime someone in the household is missing.

These are the 4 sure signs that your dog trusts you.

I hate it when you leave, so I’ve learned to pick up on all the clues when a departure is imminent – suitcases pulled from the closet or the way you always spread clothes out on your bed. Some of us start to shake and pant because our anxiety spikes. Feel bad? One study found playing classical music for us when we’re alone can help us calm down.

Make sure you avoid these mistakes every dog owner makes.

Researchers have found that your body releases the hormone oxytocin (the same chemical that’s released when you look at your baby) when we make eye contact with you. So there’s a reason we gaze at you lovingly when we want something: It works.

I can pick up nearly imperceptible signals in your body language – a darting of your eyes or the way you grab the leash – that tell me what you’re planning. In one study, dogs were easily able to identify the location of hidden food simply by following a human gaze.

Here are 12 secrets your dog’s tail is trying to tell you.