There’s a reason why many people believe that dogs are able to sense evil.
Science has yet to prove this theory, but there is some evidence that suggests dogs may be able to detect danger or harmful intent in others.
This could be why they often seem to know when something isn’t right, even before their owners do.
There is no doubt that dogs have some superior senses to humans such as smell but it’s their intuition and ability to read our body language and tone of voice that makes them seem like they can sense evil.
For example, a dog may start barking aggressively at a stranger because they can sense that the person is not to be trusted.
While we may not know exactly what goes on in a dog’s mind, there’s no doubt that they are incredibly intuitive creatures.
Dogs are experts at reading body language
Dogs communicate their intentions through body language and are real experts when it comes to reading the body language of other dogs and humans.
They are incredibly intuitive creatures and can pick up on even the slightest changes in our posture or demeanour.
For example, if we are tense and anxious, they will likely mirror our emotions. This could be why they often seem to know when something isn’t right, even before their owners do.
One study found that dogs were more likely to approach a person who was looking at them and smiling than someone who had averted their gaze or was frowning.
This suggests that dogs are sensitive to the way we interact with them and can pick up on social cues that we may not be aware of.
A person whose intent is that of evil or bad behaviour may display these intentions by their posture, appearance or even smell – things which a dog may be able to detect but which humans cannot.
Dogs have a superior sense of smell
It’s no secret that dogs have an incredible sense of smell. In fact, their sense of smell is up to 10,000 times more sensitive than ours.
This means they are able to detect even the slightest changes in odour.
For example, a dog may be able to smell fear in a person’s sweat. This could explain why they often seem to know when we are feeling anxious or nervous.
What’s more, recent research has shown that dogs may even be able to smell cancer.
One study found that dogs were able to correctly identify cancerous samples 96% of the time.
While more research is needed, these findings suggest that dogs could one day be used to screen for cancer in humans.
Dogs have a special bond with humans
Dogs and humans have been living side by side for thousands of years. This long history has resulted in a special bond between our two species.
This bond is based on trust and communication.
Dogs are incredibly attuned to our emotions and can pick up on even the slightest changes in our mood.
For example, they may comfort us when we are sad or anxious.
This suggests that dogs are able to understand our emotional state and respond in a way that is helpful to us.
Dogs can read facial expressions
Dogs may also instinctively sense when people are lying or being dishonest.
Studies have shown that dogs can detect changes in human facial expressions and body language that signal deception.
Do dogs have a sixth sense?
There is no scientific proof that dogs have a sixth sense.
It’s perfectly understandable to think that they might but we should appreciate that a dog’s senses operate at different levels to those of humans.
While not discounting the fact that anything is possible, there is no science to substantiate a sixth sense in dogs.
So, when your dog goes to the front door 15 minutes before a family member arrives home, is it a sixth sense or is it his fantastic sense of smell at work, or does he possess some form of wonderful internal clock?
Final words
There’s no doubt that dogs have an ability to detect things that humans cannot.
Whether this is due to some form of psychic ‘sixth sense’ or is simply due to his finely tuned senses remains to be seen.
What is certain, however, is that dogs are amazing creatures with a unique ability to understand and bond with us.
