The moment I fell in love with my dog and realized that he was my
best friend, was when I had my first ever anxiety attack.
It was the weekend I was home between the Republican National Convention and
the Democratic National Convention in 2016.
I had just had my bridal shower, I was stressed out beyond belief.
I remember going home from my bridal shower which I actually didn't end up
enjoying at all, and having the first anxiety attack of my life.
I also, like had a dog for the first time, my own dog for the first time and
that was Charlie.
And I'm on my couch having an anxiety attack,
having a hard time breathing, also sobbing.
And this little puppy who had never even jumped on the couch before cuz
he's a little puppy.
Somehow jumped up on the couch onto my lap and
started licking the tears off my cheeks.
And I just wondered like how do dogs know?
How do they know that me sobbing is a sign that I'm in distress,
how do they pick up on your stress?
Well, there's a study and we're gonna talk about that right now, okay.
So if it seems like your dog knows that you're stressed,
that's because it can really tell when you are.
A new study has revealed that dogs are able to smell chemical
odors that people release when they're upset when they're worked up.
So the study was performed by scientists at Queen's University Belfast in Ireland.
The researchers collected sweat and breath samples from human participants before and
after giving them a difficult math problem to solve.
And used only samples from those who showed increases in blood pressure and
heart rate.
Signs of stress from performing the task,
I would have definitely shown those signs of stress.
Now the researchers selected four dogs for this study and
after a bit of training, the dogs were able to correctly distinguish
the stress samples from control samples with 94% accuracy, insane.
So the study is amazing and we should note it was limited in scope, so
it has its limitations.
Nonetheless, let's talk about the results.
The study did not determine whether the dogs could identify human emotions,
that is recognized whether participants were feeling happy, sad, angry or
fearful, for example.
Only that they were experiencing stress as measured by
physiological signs of increasing heart rate and blood pressure.
However, dogs don't just rely on their incredible sense to smell to perceive
our boots they've got superpowers, they've got more than that, okay.
So in real life settings, dogs probably use a variety of contextual signals,
such as our body language, tone of voice or
breathing rate to help them understand the situation.
I just love dogs so much.
>> Well look, we also have to understand that dogs have not for
tens of thousands of years evolved in a normal, natural way.
They've evolved in conjunction with humans.
Humans have chosen certain animals to keep certain animals not to dogs that responded
in a way that you like to your different emotions you're gonna bond with,
you're going to care for, you're gonna feed more, you're gonna defend more.
And so we shouldn't be surprised that dogs end up being very good at that.
And the same way that they become gradually cuter and cuter and
cuter as you select for appearances you want and lack of aggression.
Yeah, you're probably going to choose for
ones that are social in ways that you like to, you don't want dogs that bite you,
you want dogs that care for you and provide support for you.
In fact, research has shown that when humans interact with dogs, oxytocin levels
in increase in both species, they make us happy when parents look at their baby and
their baby stares into their eyes even though their baby can't talk,
parents get an oxytocin boost just by eye contact.
One of the researchers says,
dogs have somehow hijacked this oxytocin bonding pathway so
that just by making eye contact or by playing and
hugging our dog, the oxytocin in both us and our dog goes up.
This is why dogs are wonderful in any kind of stressful situation.
I remember being at the airport once and
there was a woman with a dog literally walking around having people like
interact with the dog because some people are stressed out about flying,, and
it was like a way of kind of easing anxiety that individuals might be feeling.
And I thought that was such a great idea and I'd love to see more of that.
There are some universities who who during,,
midterms or finals week will bring dogs onto the campus
to help some of these students,, ease their anxiety.
Come on, that's the little bubba, a little baby boy.
He looks directly at the camera, He's so cute.
Look at his little face.
Yeah, they just do make everything.
I had to go to some business.
And I walked in and immediately a golden retriever ran up to me and she was like,
do you like dogs?
And I was like, I only like dogs, that's the only thing that I like.
I was good if there wasn't a dog, it was, could you have a dog here, please?
I would prefer if you would leave and just leave me with this dog?
Actually, it just makes everything better.
Get a dog if you haven't already get a dog.
And I don't know considering the close relationship with dogs and
humans like,, in terms of revolution,
the people who don't like dogs at all a little bit suspicious about them.
Why is it?
I don't know because I feel like most of us were together around the fire, us and
our dogs, were you like skulking around outside?
Why are you one of the people that hates dogs?
Okay, Okay, but let's be fair because dogs can tell if you're good or bad.
I think we need to give people the benefit of the doubt.
Jr the benefit of the doubt.
Okay I don't know about J.
R. And J. R.
Does have a dog by the way.
Yeah he has a dog.
I'm talking about people who like dogs.
That's true.
He tolerates dog.
No but that's the thing.
No he's really nice to the dog.
He is really nice to the dog.
It's just that it's not the dog that he wanted.
He wanted a different kind of dog.
So I get it right?
But like okay let's not talk about J.
R. Because he's not here to defend himself.
And I feel that the only reason I brought him up.
No but like I also want to just acknowledge that like not everyone started
their relationship with dogs on a good foot right?
Like they might have had their first interaction with the dog might have been
something traumatic.
So actually one of my early experiences with dogs was traumatic.
A dog attacked me and bit me and I still have a scar from that.
Yeah from that whole interaction.
Where is it?
See that?
Yeah. Yeah it was scary.
It was like a bit and
like the thing is the dog sensed that I was nervous I was a little kid.
I was nervous.
I was scared of dogs.
I hadn't experienced dogs yet.
I don't know how I overcame that because like even after that happened
I didn't hate dogs or I was scared of them because I was a kid but
I can't emphasize enough how much happiness joy and yes I'm just gonna say
it emotional stability my dog has given me in my life, I love my dog so much.
ironically right after you're bitten by that dog,
it would have probably calmed you down, make you feel better dog.
Maybe here in studies.
They're good at that.
Not at not at that moment.
What about a really cute one?
Yeah no when I come home the dogs run over some time.
My wife will open the door so they run out on the patio.
Her dog will get a toy and then lay down and drag itself with a toy and
my dog will run up and begin licking me and like run in circles and stuff and
I just need that like why would you not want that?
So good?
It's so true.
I love it.
They spoon with us when we watch tv at night they're just the best.
Usually the way that our night goes is we'll be hanging out or watching tv or
whatever and then it's time where we gotta start get ready for bed.
That's when I go and I do some production for T.
D. R.
My dog comes in and lays under the desk until I'm done with the production and
then we go to bed together.
I love it.
So every single night he will walk into the office and wait for
me because he knows it's time to produce their the best,
best charlie is not bilingual like I am, but our morning routine, he loves this, I
get up out of bed, he hears me get about, sometimes he's waiting for me to get up,
I'll grab my blanket, I'll set it on the couch because he loves soft things.
He's gotta lay on a soft blanket on the couch and then he he like rolls
over on his back and like that's his sign for you need to give me a rub down and
as I give him a rub down I say sweet things to him, an Armenian.
So I'll say come off which means beautiful dog, delicious dog.
You have to be Armenian to understand but
she doesn't eat the dog because she's held back by Judeo, christian values.
She wants to