Do you think dogs have a 6th sense

[Mobilecarehell]

When my daughter was pregnant our dog quite often lay across her tummy, in an almost protective way. Sadly there was something wrong with the baby & she never lived. The dog did not appear to be so protective of her 2nd pregnancy & the baby was born perfectly healthy. It might just be a coincidence, but you read about dogs appearing to have a 6th sense.
Interested in other dog owners appsrent 6tb sense moments with their dogs....

[ErrolTheDragon]

It may be that the dog is using one of its five senses - smell. It's pretty well established that some dogs can detect some cancers, for instance.

[Topseyt]

I'm sorry to hear your DD lost that baby.

Dogs can be trained to detect some medical problems using their extremely sensitive sense of smell. They can pick up some cancers, detect when a diabetic's blood sugar level is getting too low and can alert when some epileptics are about to have a seizure.

It is understood to be subtle changes in scent that they can pick up.

I used to have a labrador. He wasn't an assistance dog, but I'm pretty sure he could always detect when I wasn't 100%, either through illness or injury. He would watch me intently, come up very close, rest his head on my lap. If I went out of the room he would follow closely and stick to me like glue.

When I was all fine and dandy again then so was he. He died of old age (15) just over a year ago and I miss him enormously.

[Pyewhacket]

Horses do.

[StormzyInaDCup]

I think they do @Mobilecarehell. I have a condition that causes varying levels of paralysis and my boy always seems to know an attacks coming before I do!

[BarbaraofSeville]

Cats definitely do. They know when you think about getting up to do something useful and immediately come and sit on your lap.

They also know when they have a vets appointment and disappear until it is too late to take them.

Once I thought 'I'll give the cats tuna for tea' and all the cats in the house, who had previously been sound asleep, got up and went and sat in the kitchen by their bowls.

[vanillandhoney]

Definitely.

Mine comes and cuddles me when I get a migraine. He'll come and sniff/lick my head and curl up next to me until I feel better.

Dogs can be trained to sniff drugs and various illnesses out too.

[Hollyhocksarenotmessy]

I dont think they have a sixth sense as in woo, but their physical senses are so much more sensitive than ours. So they can sense things we cant.

As well as picking up on diseases, pregnancy, danger, I think dogs also have a physical reaction to people who are generally 'wrong uns'.

[CaptainMyCaptain]

@ErrolTheDragon

It may be that the dog is using one of its five senses - smell. It's pretty well established that some dogs can detect some cancers, for instance.

My sister's dog became very interested in her breast and kept trying to lick it. A routine mammogram found breast cancer.

[CaptainMyCaptain]

Also this:

www.sciencefocus.com/news/dogs-trained-to-sniff-out-patients-with-covid-19/

[userxx]

As well as picking up on diseases, pregnancy, danger, I think dogs also have a physical reaction to people who are generally 'wrong uns'.

Absolutely, my dog took a dislike to one new neighbour instantly, he growls and barks whenever he seems him. I heard on the grapevine the neighbour is a drug dealer.

[CaptainMyCaptain]

My dog, very embarrassingly, growls at people with disabilities like CP or Downs. She also took a disliking to a woman with a carer who wanted to stroke her, I think the woman had dementia. So maybe it's not so much a wrong 'un' as someone who, to the dog, seems a bit not-normal. She did start barking at a man we passed on the road once although I couldn't see anything obviously different about him, maybe he really was a wrong 'un. She's a very nice dog really, honestly.

[WildWindBlows]

Yes. Not just dogs, cats too. I work in a vets and dozens of clients have told me their pets knew they were pregnant before they did. My own cat, who normally likes to sit on me at every opportunity just came and lay beside me after I'd had abdominal surgery, didn't even attempt to sit on me. They know .
Scientifically cats and dogs have thousands more scent receptors than we do hence they can be trained to detect, cancers, bombs, drugs etc. Makes sense they can detect hormones too.

[Nottherealslimshady]

They just use their own senses more I think. My dog could spot someone up to no good before they've even turned a corner, its like she can smell their thoughts and I think she can literally smell the anxiety on them.

I'm pregnant and had a previous loss, I knew I'd lost it by her shift in behaviour. She knows I'm pregnant, whether she knows what that means or not, I dont know. She marks my wee now which is hilarious, we walk alot so I wee in the woods alot, she didn't care before i got pregnant and she's no interest in DHs. No idea what her reasoning is.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Scientifically cats and dogs have thousands more scent receptors than we do hence they can be trained to detect, cancers, bombs, drugs etc. Makes sense they can detect hormones too.

It's the other way round, really. They've evolved to be fantastic at detecting hormones for finding a fertile mate. Other scents are doubtless used (as we inferior beasts still do) to assess whether something is edible.

I wonder if some of what we call 'sixth sense' ourselves is sometimes partially subconsciously detecting scents eg stress hormones?