(upbeat pop music)
- Who let the dogs out?
General Assembly let the dogs out,
the digital dogs.
That probably wasn't a very
good promotion for them, was it?
Has your dog ever seemed to
know exactly how you're feeling?
I know mine has.
As far as anyone knows,
dogs don't have eerie supernatural powers.
There is a scientific explanation
for most of the things dogs can sense.
Often, that explanation has
to do with a dog's nose,
its number one way of
understanding the world.
Combined with its other heightened sense,
the amazing canine schnoz
gives it the ability
to detect some things way
before their human companions.
- The odd signs, he would come up
and touch my breast with his nose
and back off, so desperately unhappy
with such a sad look in his eyes.
I was looking in the
mirror in the bedroom here
and I looked across in
the mirror at Max's eyes,
he was on the bed as he is now,
and I knew it was cancer.
- Cancer studies show that dogs can detect
at least some kinds of cancer.
Properly-trained pooches can
detect lung and breast cancer
just by sniffing biochemical
markers in a person's breath.
- [Woman] I love Max so
much and I owe him so much.
- Cancer cells give off
different waste products
that create a noticeable odor
for the keen noses of dogs.
At their 2014 annual meeting,
members of the American
Neurological Association
heard the results of a study that found
that trained dogs are 98% accurate
at detecting prostate cancer
by smelling urine samples.
- Sissy was all excited
and she's making these whiny
little happy whiny noises
and just all excited to see me.
And I said, "Did you
sneak this dog in here?"
She said, "No, she snuck
herself in here, Mom."
(upbeat pop music)
- Honeybees are vital, and
not just for their honey,
they pollenate food crops.
In recent years, there's
been a serious decline
in the honeybee population.
And among the biggest culprits
are bacteria called American foulbrood.
- [Voiceover] The disease leaves behind
a very contagious spore
that infects all the combs,
all the woodenware, any equipment
that it comes in contact with.
- The bacteria's spores quickly spread
from beehive to beehive,
killing the larvae.
Inspecting beehives for bacteria
is a time-consuming job.
A human bee inspector might take
a full day to inspect 50 beehives.
But what about canines?
A well-trained dog can inspect
up to 100 beehives in less than an hour!
- [Voiceover] This is Kira.
She can sense when I'm having
a nightmare, night sweats.
I'm a diabetic.
She can sense when my sugar
levels are outta whack.
- People with insulin-dependent diabetes
can suffer from dramatic swings
in their level of blood glucose.
- At first, I thought it was
because she wanted attention.
And then I discovered she was trying
to remove me from the situation.
- Often, they can't tell
when they're about to
have a severe drop in blood sugar.
So, over the years, some diabetic people
and those who work with them
have noticed that dogs
seem to be able to sense
when blood sugar levels are low
or about to drop dangerously.
- She senses the chemical
changes in my body.
Animals know more about body language
than we ever will, I'm afraid.
- It seems the canines'
super-sensitive nose
can smell chemical changes
in a person's breath and skin
caused by rapid changes
in blood sugar levels.
- I've often said that
we didn't train the dogs
to protect those Army airfields
or those ammunition storage areas.
We trained the dog to protect the handler.
So, what the government did is
they put me in a dangerous situation,
but then they gave me
the dog to protect me.
And we survived.
(upbeat pop music)
- When Henry's at home,
he's part of our family
and he plays with Leo,
does all the fun things
that a boy and his dog would do.
But he knows that once
the jacket comes on,
once his service therapy vest goes on,
he becomes all business.
- Many people with epilepsy
and other conditions
rely on seizure response dogs.
These dogs can alert parents
when a child has a seizure
or use a special alert
device to call for help.
They can even guard a
person having a seizure
or roll the person into a position
in which he or she can breathe.
- [Voiceover] If something
was wrong with Leo,
Henry would not only
alert me to come over,
but he would physically lay on Leo
to have body contact, to let him know,
"Hey buddy, you're not in this alone."
- Some dogs can also sense a seizure
as much as 10 or 20 minutes
before the seizure happens.
Now, scientists aren't entirely
sure what the dogs sense.
It may be a combination
of changes in the blood,
body chemistry or temperature.
Or perhaps the canines'
detail-oriented vision
detects small changes in
the person's movements.
However it works, the dog's warning
can alert the person in
time to get to a safe place,
take medication, and/or let others know
that he or she might soon need help.
(dog barking)
(dog barking)
Is it true that dogs can sense fear?
The answer is yes, if you
don't get too literal.
A dog can't read you mind,
but it can smell what happens
in your body when you're afraid.
Humans sweat when we're stressed.
And if we're frightened, our
bodies release adrenaline.
(loud thump on door)
(man screams)
Our blood starts pumping
faster and we emit pheromones
or chemical molecules that
float through the air.
(man shrieks)
(man screams)
♫ Wanna swing from the chandelier ♫
Dogs can smell all these
fear-triggered responses.
And dogs also notice visual nuances,
the details of a scene better than humans.
If you're afraid, a dog will know
through smells and visual hints.
And these are just five
of the amazing things
that dogs can sense before you do.
So, the next time your pup
seems a little out of sorts,
pay attention because he just might
know something that you don't.
And huge shoutout to General Assembly
for letting us shoot in
their beautiful space.
And if you're interest in digital media,
you need to head on over to GA.co.
(tapdancing on floor)
- [Voiceover] And cut.
(people laugh)
- [Voiceover] My damn Christmas balls!
Denver, when are you gonna
stop getting at these things?
Come on now, Mommy's
gonna have a heart attack.
