Do Pets Know When You’re Sick or Upset?

Yes, pets do know when you’re sick or upset. Given their keen sense of smell, dogs can detect even the most subtle scent changes in our bodies when we are sick because the  biochemistry of our bodies change  when we're sick. Still, this doesn't mean that they perceive your condition exactly in the same way as you perceive it. Unfortunately, we can't interview them to understand what they think about our sickness or bad mood, but sometimes their behavior changes, especially if it is an adult animal who is very attached to you. If you are sick, cats try to lay near you or even on sore spot, and dogs don't pull their leash during the walk. 

Emotional

Pets are not just sensitive to biological changes, they can be sensitive to emotional changes too. If you are upset, a pet may come to you and just to be near you or leave you alone and stay at their place. One of the greatest emotions animals can detect is fear – in their owners and strangers.

Pets Gone Wild: What makes pets really crazy?

The following circumstances make pets really crazy:

• Owner's ill-mannered kids
• Weird owner (in pet's perception)
• Annoying boy or girlfriend of the owner
• Negative experience in early age
• Mental diseases
• Somatic diseases that cause pain

Example of how ill-mannered or spoiled kids can impact pet behavior:

"Who's the Boss?"

A mother purchased a dog in order to teach their children to be responsible and more obedient. She came to me with complaints about the dog, that it exhibited destructive behavior at home, when the owners were not there.  Likewise, the dog also exhibited uncontrollable behavior when in social situations, fighting with other dogs. The family consisted of a mother and three children; a girl the age of 14, and two boys ages 11 and 3 years old.  The dog, a female Mastiff, was bought when it was 2 months old.  

Observation of the dog at home led to a paradoxical conclusion.  The youngest child was the center, if not the leader, in this family.  Each of his whims were immediately attended to, and the mother and the older children swirled around him.  Perhaps the dog also perceived that the child occupied a leading position in the family, and imitated the child’s behavior.   The dog became as intrusive and demanding as the youngest child, and as a result, always got what she wanted in the form of affection, entertainment, games, and attention. 

To correct the wild behavior, we started to condition the animal to avoid the annoying behavior. The dog was not to be given what she wanted as a reward for begging or demanding (barking, scratching, jumping on the owners etc.). In such cases, she was to be ignored. 
The next step was to train the dog basic commands like "Sit," "Lie down," "Stand," "Come here," and "Heel."  It was important to ensure that the pet obeyed both older children equally well. This was implemented by encouraging or ignoring the dog. Another problem was to explain to the children the basics of role relations within the family, as it could cause conflicts between them about leadership.  Therefore, I proposed the model of a parent-child relationship.  The brother and sister had to introduce themselves in the role of parents to the dog, and behave accordingly as an adult animal would behave in relation to a puppy.  The children received these roles with enthusiasm, unlike the dog, which had gotten used to considering them as playmates.  The pet was not able to accept the fact that the relationship had changed.

In about four months, general obedience by the dog when executing the commands was achieved. The dog's behavior, particularly the aggression issues, readily became an acute problem.

This is only an excerpt from a full story. You’ll have to get my new book, "Your Pet’s Peeves: What Your Pet’s Issues Say About You" (ISBN: 978-1-941716-00-7) to read this full story and any others.