As anyone with a dog or cat knows, those fluffy companions sometimes have a way of just "knowing" when you're feeling sad, rewarding you with extra snuggles just when you need 'em most. Believe it or not, many animals can also detect when you're on your period — thanks to their keen sense of smell, that is.
Your dog, with his or her keen sense of smell, is able to detect menstruation and other changes by both odor and hormonal levels. Sure, your dog probably doesn't fully understand what those things mean, but they do know that something different is going on than usual.
Dogs sniff people's crotches because of the sweat glands, also known as apocrine glands, that are located there. Sniffing these glands gives a dog information about a person such as their age, sex, mood, and mating probability.
Your dog is adult, rather than puppy, and normally likes to stay somewhere nearby like a watchdog, and doesn't demand attention like a puppy. However, during your period your dog moves closer. The reason is probably that your dog wants to be more protective, but that's just a guess.
Horses can smell you are on your period.
They have a strong sense of smell and would be able to smell the blood. They can also smell hormones and pheromones. The smells of being on your period are a sign that you are not in season for mating. Not that a stallion would necessarily want to do that to a human.
So when a woman is on her period, she probably just smells different, which is interesting to the dog." And it isn't just the blood that dogs can smell a mile away. During our period, we also release pheromones, chemicals that attract the opposite sex.
While other mammals are able to reabsorb the lining that adorns their fertile womb, the volume of tissue in humans is too great, so if no pregnancy ensues, it is expelled instead.
“Dogs are scent-driven creatures,” said Kate Mornement, an Australian animal behaviorist and consultant. “They experience their world predominantly through their sense of smell. When a woman is on her period she probably just smells different, which is interesting to the dog.”
However, some believe that dogs can smell the hormones associated with menstruation, and that this change in scent confuses or disturbs them. Others believe that dogs can sense when their owner is feeling stressed or emotional, and that the period-related hormonal changes amplify these feelings.
A female dog will lick herself in response to the swelling of the vulva and bloody discharge she experiences as a part of her reproductive cycle. Most dogs can keep themselves clean during this time. If your dog's discharge is making a mess, you may want to consider using heat diaper and/or dog wipes.
Their perceptions drive their behavior. There is no evidence thus far that dogs actually understand what is happening when two people have sex. They likely recognize the smell of pheromones when people become aroused and other scents associated with people engaging in intimacy.
Dogs of all sizes and breeds show affection and protectiveness by showing and rubbing their butts on humans. They are all equally likely to display affection through their backside. Your dog putting his butt on you is something you should be happy about! It is their way of showing they love you.
While it may not be accurate to say that dogs smell pregnancy, they may be able to smell these hormonal changes. Hormones can influence not only the smell of a person's body, but also the state of their health, appearance, and behavior.
'" Dogs might make their awareness more obvious, thanks to their habitual sniffing, but they also generally won't mind being around an owner who is menstruating.
The body language that your dog uses when you kiss them will be an indicator that they know it is a sign of affection. Of course, dogs don't know what kisses actually are, but they learn to realize that they are good.
Whether or not dogs are more attracted to one gender can't be objectively answered because all dogs and people are different. But, dogs generally tend to be more attracted to a specific set of behaviors that are exhibited mostly by adult women. It's not that dogs are exclusively attracted to female adults.
It turns out that dogs can actually pick up on the pheromone chemical that your sweaty private parts produce, and pheromones hold a lot of information about ourselves: our diets, moods, health, even whether a female is pregnant or menstruating.
Much like humans, female dogs experience cramps and hormonal changes when their bodies are preparing to mate. Also, like humans, this can be uncomfortable and can make them feel irritable and emotional. Be sure to consider your dog's feelings and needs during this time. A little extra love could go a long way.
Aggression in female dogs during their heat is a common complaint. Drastic hormone changes can adversely affect a female dog's mood and can predispose to acts of aggression even if she has never been aggressive before. These hormone changes cause irritability, nervousness and can even cause pain during ovulation.
Tampon-eating is actually a pretty common problem among dogs. It isn't clear exactly why dogs seem drawn to these types of hygiene products, but it is likely due to the odor of blood and the way cotton feels in their mouths.
It can take several days for an eaten hygiene product to be excreted. In any case, it is advisable to contact a veterinarian immediately if your fur nose eats a hygiene product. Then follow the instructions of the vet in order not to endanger your dog's health!
Changes in your pregnancy hormones
And research suggests that the hormones emitted by your body can lead to a change in body odor that's detectable even by other humans. Therefore, it stands to reason dogs might also pick up on the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy — in essence, smell that you're pregnant.
Although men will not bleed, nor will they experience all of the same symptoms as women, these hormonal shifts can have some pretty notable side effects, especially with mood and irritability. Some call it the “man period” others call it Irritable Male Syndrome, either way, it can be quite similar to a woman's PMS.
The ovaries release the female hormones estrogen and progesterone . These hormones cause the lining of the uterus (or womb) to build up. The built-up lining is ready for a fertilized egg to attach to and start developing. If there is no fertilized egg, the lining breaks down and bleeds.
Your period can last between 2 and 7 days, but it will usually last for about 5 days. The bleeding tends to be heaviest in the first 2 days. When your period is at its heaviest, the blood will be red. On lighter days, it may be pink or brown.