Do Dogs Smell Fear?

Scientific studies indicate that dogs can smell fear, but how dogs react to human fear may vary and that can be a serious problem.

Published: July 20, 2026

Dogs can smell fear on their owner and other humans. — Dogs can smell fear through the cortisol and adrenaline a human emits when they’re upset and will react similarly. Credit: Marco Bottigelli | Getty Images

The short answer is yes, dogs can smell fear, but that age-old fallacy that they will try to dominate you if they smell fear is inaccurate. Dogs have an incredible sense of smell. All emotions smell differently to dogs. Unfortunately, we mere humans can’t smell those differences. But dogs most certainly can.