Fix body language

Can dogs and cats read our body language? Do they know if we are sick or hurting or happy?

Public Comments

1. I believe they can yes. When we are sick or sad my dogs seem to be more mellow and loving toward us.
2. yes they can, they always say never train your dog when your mad because he will read your body language.when i am sad or sick my cat would always come next to me or lay on my chest and just sleep with me and lick my face, it always makes me feel better and lets me know that she knows i am sick or what not.
3. yes if they know you very well they will read your body language to help comfort you
4. Yes they can read our body language and they know if there is something wrong with us.
5. The well-being of our pets is affected by our feelings. Most dogs and cats form strong bonds with their owners, the people they depend on for food, shelter, safety and affection. That's why it's especially important for them to tune into our emotional cues. Except for perhaps a few brief verbal commands or names, pets rely completely on the emotional messages communicated by our posture, tone of voice, facial expressions and, well, just plain feelings in the air. As a result of this connection, pets often seem to soak up angry, sad or fearful feelings from family members who are experiencing tension or conflict over issues that have nothing to do with the animal. Frequent arguments in the home are especially stressful for a pet, who may react with irritability or fear. Emotional tensions in particular may affect health problems that have either a behavioral component (such as increased aggressiveness, destructiveness or extreme restlessness) or a nervous component (such as irritated skin, ears, bladder and the like).
6. I believe they can. I've had both a cat and a dog, and when I was sad or depressed they seemed calmed, my cat who hated to be petted would cuddle up in my lap and let me pet him for hours. My dog would lay beside me, when I was happy my cat would just be lazy and my dog would be playful and hyper.
7. Yes they can. They can also read minor biochemical changes in your body, which is why the government of Britain is currently investing in research that uses dogs as early warning detectors of cancer. So far their tests have proven well. :)
8. they can understand our tone. And they Understand our actions.
9. yup
10. I will venture to say that some dogs but perhaps not all sense when you are not feeling well. I don't think it's body language though because dogs eyes are very dissimilar to human eyes, for one thing they don't see colors well if at all and depend more on smell and hearing to gather data.Given a chance a dog will lick a open wound on your body. I don,t know much about four legged, self programing mouse traps.
11. Dog and cats can read body language and I believe they can tell if we're sick or hurt or any emotion through our energies, postures, etc.
12. Yes they do. Animals can sence anything. They are very very very smart! My Grandma had a little dog for like 5 years, the dog slept with her followed her around, went everywhere with her and etc. My grandma lived alone at this time, this dog was like her best friend. When my grandma got sick and moved in with me and my family so we could take care of her ( she had lung cancer ) this dog knew she was sick, the dog NEVER left her side NOT EVEN to EAT! We had to bring the food and water to her and she started going potty on potty pads. NEVER left her side. My grandma died and Tula ( the dog ) laid right next to her. Tula KNEW exactly what was going on, my grandma was very close to us so this was horrible on us and still is, well a few hours later when the funeral people had to come and take her body away, tula CRIED.. TEARS came from her eyes and down her little face. NO JOKE.. We all saw it as we had to watch them walk away with her, Tula cried! It wass horrible, but amazing that this dog loved her so much! I KNOW dogs and cats have this sence. They know when your sick and know if its something is worse like dying. There's all kinds of storys about dogs and cats with this kinda thing. One lady I know of fell down her stairs and her dog ran to get help, he found a person and took him to the lady and they called 911 , it was all over the news about a year ago. Yes, they can also tell when your happy because they feel your excitement. Animals are amazing.. God bless you!
13. yes the dogs act odd when you are nervous and protective if you are scared...you dont need to say Rex Im scared protect me....he just does
14. Mine sure can. Body language is actually how dogs do most of their communicating. My dogs become more affectionate when they see certain emotions out of me. But every dog is different they notice, but some times their just not that affectionate
15. They do know when we're upset, but not by our body language. Dogs can smell EVERYTHING. Your body puts off a different scent when it's ill or your sad or angry. Dogs can interpret those scents and signals and they know that there's something wrong.