We're all familiar with how smart dogs are, but do we really know what their true capabilities are? Their unique abilities and perception? Their super powers?
We've all probably heard stories about the near-magical sixth sense that some dogs tend to have — but I've found that most people brush this off as a simple unexplained mystery.
However, many studies have shown that animals and humans alike may have wonderfully inexplicable intuitive strengths.
Many organizations, like Animal Planet and Psychology Today, as well as several universities, have conducted research on this phenomenon. They found that are many factors that might contribute to dog's special “powers” that many dogs have, including canines' enhanced physical senses.
Below, we explore why dogs engage in some very particular behaviors, and the surprising motives behind each of them.
Did you know that dogs had these incredible physical powers? Some of these caught me by complete surprise! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Sixth Sense #1: Diseases And Cancers
At times, dogs may pay particular attention to certain parts of your body, and this may be a sign that you’re due for a checkup at the doctor’s. Studies have shown that, through their keen sense of smell, dogs can “predict” a variety of bodily reactions.
For example, the American Urological Association concluded a study where dogs sniffed out prostate cancer with 98% accuracy. Yet another study found that they can, through the smell of a person’s sweat or breath, detect high or low blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.
Dogs have the ability to detect chemicals known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. These compounds refer to naturally occurring chemicals, including scents and odors. Humans can sense certain VOCs, but dogs have a greater ability to detect more potent and potentially dangerous VOCs.
Just imagine this: Dogs have a sense of smell that can be 10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than a human’s. That means they can pick up scents that are up to 100,000 times weaker than scents detected by humans. To give you more of an image, a dog can smell a teaspoon of sugar in a million gallons of water.
Sixth Sense #2: Pregnancy
Many women have reported that their dogs suddenly become more attentive and protective when they’re expecting. Often, they will also begin to escort you to places. From time to time, they may also nuzzle and sniff your belly, and rest their heads on it.
Again, their ability to detect bodily changes can be credited to their powerful sense of smell. When a woman is pregnant, her body chemistry — and, as a result, her distinct odor — shifts. And in some cases, dogs may feel threatened, or isolated, by the new addition in your home.
To prepare them for the baby, experts recommend that you show them a special place that belongs uniquely to them, and spend some time each day taking them there. Establishing a gentle, loving routine with them, and continuing this routine even after the baby is born, is extremely important.
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