Do Dogs Know When Someone is Afraud if Them?
Do dogs know when someone is afraid of them?
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If you're afflicted with cynophobia, a pathological fear of dogs, chances are that, at one time or another, some well-meaning person has advised you to remain calm and "don't let him see you're afraid." Of course, that's easier said than done, when your heart is racing and cold sweat is trickling down the back of your neck due to the fact that you're standing within lunging range of a Rottweiler … or a Yorkshire terrier.
Nevertheless, that advice does raise some interesting questions: When dogs look at a trembling, panicky human, what do they see? Do they sense your terror, and if so, does it influence their behavior toward you? Does your fear of dogs make dogs more or less likely to bite you?
The Mysterious Canine Mind
Questions like these likely have perplexed humans since the first wolves started hanging around the fire hoping for scraps of our ancestors' roasted mammoth dinner. But since mammoth times, compared to many other species, dogs have done pretty well for themselves in terms of adapting to human society and coexisting with us. They fill an endless variety of roles, including animal herder, hunter's assistant, burglar alarm, guide for the visually impaired, loyal companion and playmate for children.
According to psychologist Stanley Coren, author of the book "How Dogs Think," canines' versatility and ability to interact with humans has convinced some people -- for example, the ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Diogenes -- that dogs have almost humanlike minds and moral sensibilities. Not everyone is convinced of such powers, however. For example, 17th-century French mathematician, philosopher and scientist Descartes dismissed dogs as soulless biological automatons, incapable of thinking, who respond to environmental stimuli by reflex.
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