How Our Energy Impacts Our Dogs

We’ve all said it - “My dog just knows when I’m upset.”
Turns out, science agrees. Studies now confirm that our moods, energy, and even long-term stress patterns don’t just affect us - they ripple outward and influence our dogs’ physical and emotional health.

From synchronized heart rates to mirrored cortisol levels, your emotional climate literally becomes your dog’s environment.

Let’s look at what research reveals about how deeply connected we really are - and how we can protect our dogs by protecting our own peace.

A landmark study published in Scientific Reports found that the long-term stress levels of dogs and their owners are synchronized. Researchers measured hair cortisol levels in both and found striking correlations - meaning, when an owner’s stress was chronically elevated, their dog’s stress was too.

Source: Roth et al., Nature Scientific Reports (2019). Read the study here
Summary from Linköping University: Dogs mirror their owners' stress

What it means: Your dog doesn’t just sense when you’re stressed - they embody it.

Have you seen the movie E.T.? Well, recent studies from the University of Jyväskylä (2024) show that dogs and their humans share heart-rate variability (HRV) synchrony like Elliot and E.T. - particularly during restful, affectionate interactions.

High HRV (more variability) is linked to calm, resilience, and emotional balance. When owners displayed high HRV, so did their dogs. When owners were anxious or tense, HRV dropped in both.

Source: Koskela et al., Scientific Reports (2024). Read the summary
Neuroscience News Overview: Dogs and humans share heart rate synchrony

What it means: Your dog’s body literally tunes in to yours. Calm human = calm dog.

Dogs can detect stress through scent - literally smelling our emotions.

In a 2022 study, dogs correctly distinguished between baseline and “stress odours” (from human breath and sweat samples) after participants completed a difficult mental task.

Source: Vargas et al., PLOS ONE (2022). Read the study

What it means: You can’t hide stress from your dog - they can smell it.

Your personality traits can predict aspects of your dog’s well-being.

Research has shown that dogs living with owners who display higher negative affectivity (frequent anger, worry, or pessimism) tend to have altered cortisol rhythms and lower HRV, indicators of chronic stress.

Source: Roth et al., Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2022). Owner–Dog Personality Study

What it means: How you handle emotions influences how your dog experiences the world.

Long-term elevated cortisol and nervous-system dysregulation can affect your dog’s:

Supporting Research:

Regulate your nervous system: Prayer, breathwork, grounding, mindfulness, and daily walks lower cortisol - for both of you.

Create calm connection moments: Gentle touch, quiet presence, and calm environments promote oxytocin and reduce stress.

Mind your mindset: Gratitude, prayer, and reflection shift energy. Let go of grudges - your dog feels that darkness too.

Support stress resilience: Consider calming aids like chamomile, CBD oil, or functional mushrooms (for you and your dog).

Keep routines steady: Predictability = safety. Dogs thrive when their world feels stable.

Your energy is your dog’s ecosystem. When you’re grounded, your dog relaxes. When you’re anxious, your dog feels it too.

As a content creator, I run into negativity now and then. Combine that with a history of anxiety and depression — plus the general chaos of the world right now — and I realized I needed to make some serious adjustments. Not just for me, but for my dogs. They were picking up on my energy, and it wasn’t fair to them.

These days, I’m proud to say I can shake off about 90% of the drama. Here’s what changed everything for me:

I addressed nutrient deficiencies.
Low levels of Vitamin D, magnesium, and iron likely amplified my anxiety and depression. Once I started using whole food supplements that supported these nutrients - and increased my intake of Omega-3s - the difference was remarkable. My anxiety eased, my mood lifted, and even my sleep improved.

I reconnected spiritually.
Returning to church and making time for daily prayer and Bible study completely shifted my mindset. I began to focus on forgiveness, compassion, and remembering that not everything is about me. It’s been humbling and healing - a reminder that I’ve made my own share of mistakes, and that empathy always serves us (and our dogs) better than anger ever will.

I created stronger boundaries and protected my peace.
I stopped engaging in online drama, unfollowed accounts that triggered negativity, and learned to pause before responding. Protecting my peace meant protecting my dogs from the emotional fallout of my stress. Now, instead of reacting, I take a breath, step outside, and let nature (and my dogs) help me reset.

When I began making these changes - focusing on my health, faith, and boundaries - I noticed something incredible. My dogs became calmer, too. They stopped pacing during my stressful moments and started resting near me again. It was a powerful reminder that our dogs don’t just live with us - they live through us. When we heal, they feel it. And when we protect our peace, we protect theirs.

This isn’t about perfection - it’s about awareness. Every breath, every choice to pause before reacting, every moment of peace you create in your own body ripples outward to the life lying faithfully at your feet.

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