Can Dogs Sense Bad Energy?

Dogs are intelligent and intuitive creatures. They can sense when you are happy, sense when you are feeling down, and they can tell when something bad is about to happen much of the time. You have likely experienced your dog coming up to snuggle with your or lick your face as you are upset and crying, and this is not just a coincidence. Your dog can feel and sense your bad or negative energy radiating from you. 

Dogs also have the ability to sense bad energy from other people and from situations and environments as well. So next time your dog barks at your crabby neighbor, they are probabaly doing this to show their dislike for that negative person's energy!

Dogs communicate with one another and with their human companions through energy and body language. When your dog is around other dogs and people, they have a heightened sense of energy and can pick up on the vibes and energy of the people around them. 

If your dog suddenly acts oddly out of nowhere, especially if they are in a new environment or with a new person, it is possible they may have picked up on some form of bad energy. There are a few common signs to look out for in these situations, however, signs will vary depending on your dog and the situation they are in. You know your dog best, so keep an eye out for abnormal actions and temperaments your dog may show!

Negative energy attracts negative energy, so if your dog is feeling the bad energy from a person, their behavior is going to reflect that bad energy.  For instance, your dog may resort to barking, growling, howling, showing its teeth, lunging, jumping, spinning, and having its tail between the hind legs. They will want to get away from that person or situation and will act accordingly. 

Some dogs may respond to bad energy in a more submissive way and act as if they are fearful and scared. Signs of submission to negative energy may be ears down, avoiding eye contact, running away, hiding, cowering behind their owners, and trying to remove themselves from a certain situation. 

Dogs are very intuitive creatures and always have been. Humans can have gut feelings about certain situations and people, and dogs have gut feelings and the ability to sense bad energy and intentions as well. We generally describe these feelings and emotions as a sixth sense, which means you can guess what the true nature of a situation or a person really is.

For thousands of years, dogs have survived based on their instincts and their ability to react to certain situations, often negative, in order to protect themselves in the wild. Dogs would have to immediately trust their gut instinct because if they did not, death or severe injury would occur. The dogs we know and love today have carried this trait with them and still rely on this intuitive instinct to protect themselves and their owners. 

We constantly see stories about dogs being able to sense bad situations, negative energy and, bad intentions. For instance, we hear tons of stories about dogs who are fine around new people and are the happiest and friendliest dogs in the world. But occasionally, the happy-go-lucky pooch will bark, growl, or react negatively to a person for seemingly no reason. When instances like this occur, it often suggests the dog can sense "off" about the person and it showing this discontent for them.

A common theory as to why a dog can sense bad energy has to do with the ability to sense and smell pheromones, although this is not a known scientific fact. Pheromones are produced by other people and animals, and they can change depending on the feelings a person has at any given moment. Interestingly, dogs have the ability to sense them and use them as a guide for how they should feel and react as well. 

Fear pheromones have a different smell to dogs than happy pheromones and your dog can tell the difference very quickly. Since dogs have this ability, this is a very likely reason why your dog can quickly tell if a person is good or if a person is bad. 

Dogs can also read body language very well. Scientists believe that 90% of communication with your dog is through non-verbal commands. Your dog has learned to read your body language and facial expression so well, they can tell what you are feeling by just looking at you. A dog can tell when a person has a wrinkled nose, a furrowed brow, and anger in the eyes, which is just another way for your dog to sense bad energy.

You cannot truly train your dog to sense bad energy. This is something they are going to do on their own and they don't need your training or guidance. It is not a learned behavior, rather, it is something that is deeply ingrained in them. However, what you can do is train your dog to react in a healthy and responsible way when they sense bad energy from another person, dog, or situation. 

As we talked about above, a dog who senses bad energy may assert their dominance or even get aggressive if they feel threatened or if they think someone may have ill intentions to you, regardless if the person actually does or not. Any type of unnecessary and harmful physical interaction with another dog or human must be controlled at all times. 

Their instinct will be to protect themselves and you! Therefore, they will likely bark, growl, expose their teeth, or even try and go after someone they feel is threatening. This is scary for you and the person on the receiving end of the aggression. 

To control your dog's actions, you can train your dog that they are safe with you. If you remain calm and relaxed, remove yourself and your dog from the situation, and use commands like "leave it," "stay," and "sit," this can greatly reduce any harmful or destructive behavior. You can also teach them that distraction is a good way for them to focus on something else that makes them happy. 

Remove your dog from the source of bad energy, whether it is a person or a situation, and replace those negative emotions with something fun and pleasant. This will help your dog replace their bad energy with positive energy. Do something they love, like throw a ball or give them their favorite treat. This will help train your dog to realize they are safe with you in all situations.