It is a well-known fact that animals have an incredible sense of smell — far superior to our own. But can they actually smell fear?

A recent study explored this idea, and it’s fascinating enough that I thought I’d sniff out the facts.

Dogs are the obvious place to start. It is often said that the average dog could pick out every ingredient in a bowl of soup from a mile away.

How that was ever tested is anyone’s guess, but it paints a great picture of just how powerful their noses are. It’s little wonder, then, that at this time of year many dogs decide to go wandering.

They’re detecting pheromones in the environment that grab their attention and draw them away from home.

We jokingly call it “spring fever”, but it’s something to be mindful of — more dogs are out and about, and with increased mating behaviour comes a rise in territorial and fighting behaviours too.

The study I mentioned earlier found that dogs can detect changes in our scent linked to stress hormones like cortisol. In other words, they may not be smelling “fear” itself, but they are picking up on the chemical signals our bodies release when we’re anxious.

It helps explain why some dogs become jumpy or unsettled around nervous owners. Pair that with their natural ability to read body language, and it’s easy to see how quickly they respond to these cues.

Cats are much the same, just a bit more subtle about it. They’re highly attuned to their owner’s emotions and can pick up on changes in mood or health. (Whether they choose to act on that information is another story.)

Horses, on the other hand, wear this sensitivity on their sleeve. They are incredibly perceptive and often mirror the emotions of the person handling them.

There’s a saying that you should never handle a horse when you’re in a bad mood, and most horse owners will agree.

A tense handler often results in a tense horse, and they have a way of reflecting that energy right back at you.

From an evolutionary perspective, this all makes perfect sense.

Being able to detect stress or fear within a group would act as an early warning system, helping animals respond quickly to potential danger. Prey species, like horses and rabbits, rely heavily on this awareness, and domestication hasn’t dulled that instinct.

All of this has a direct impact on how we interact with our pets. If you’re stressed or anxious, your pet may pick up on it and react in their own way — dogs might become clingy or defensive, cats might hide or act out, and horses may become unsettled or reactive.

So, what can we do with this information? Stay calm around your animals where possible — they feed off your energy more than you might realise.

Use positive reinforcement to encourage calm, desired behaviours, and be mindful of your body language and emotional state.

It’s something we rely on heavily during home vet visits: entering quietly, keeping energy low, and presenting no sense of threat can make all the difference to the animals experience.

Understanding how animals perceive us, the fact that they don’t just see and hear us but can also sense how we’re feeling, can go a long way in strengthening our relationships with them, and improving how we care for them day to day.

• Lucy Richardson graduated from Edinburgh University in 2005. She started CedarTree Vets in August 2012 with her husband, Mark. They live at the practice with their two children, Ray and Stella, and their dog and two cats. She is also the FEI national head veterinarian for Bermuda