Finding out your partner has been unfaithful to you is devastating - but most people would rather know the truth than live in the dark about it. While some people snoop through their partner's phone, check up on their whereabouts or even hire a private detective to get to the bottom of their suspicions, a dog behaviourist claims your pooch might already know the truth - and keeping an eye on their body language could tell you everything you want to know.
A YouGov poll conducted in 2015 revealed that as many as one in five Brits have had an affair and, dating site IllicitEncounters states a large number of its members use their dogs as an excuse to meet up with their lovers without raising suspicion. In a recent poll of more than 2,000 of its members, 60 per cent revealed dog walks had replaced more traditional affair rendezvous as daters cut back on costs, while a further 41 per cent confessed to meeting their lovers in their own home, instead of a hotel to save money.
The change in dating behaviour means an increased exposure to more personal aspects of daters lives, including their dogs - and canine owners are now fearful of their pooch sniffing out their extra marital antics.
The dating site has partnered with dog behaviour and nutrition expert, Anna Webb, to dig into the truth on dogs' extraordinary ability to sniff out cheating.
According to Anna, though dogs don’t mentally understand the concept of cheating, they use their huge olfaction to sniff out where you've been, who you've met, what you’ve done, all from minute scent particles deposited on your clothing.
She also revealed, your four-legged friend can 'read' you through minute facial expressions, eye contact, and body postures.
Anna said: "Your dog certainly knows where you have been. Their sense of smell is their superpower! When a new scent is sniffed, they will remember it, especially when it's correlated with the owner's mood. Does this scent mean my human is happy, sad, stressed out or anxious?"
Dogs have 220 million scent receptors in their noses compared to our meagre five million. But that's not all as they also have a dedicated area in their brains where they store every scent they’ve encountered.
Certain breeds are known for the ability to engage their noses – labradors, retrievers, spaniels are all hunting dogs designed to sniff for a purpose.
Jess, from Hertfordshire, who’s been having an affair through IllicitEncounters for the past three months, has become so paranoid about her dogs behaviour when she walks through the door she’s desperate to end things.
She said: "I have a cocker spaniel who’s attached to my hip for pretty much the entire day when I’m at home. But since I’ve started seeing my new lover – who he’s never met - his behaviour has changed and I’m petrified my husbands going to notice.
"My dog used to greet me at the door but now he gives me one look and runs off. He’s become submissive around me. He’s started pining my husband for attention over me. He even barked at me one time I walked through the door."
On Jess’s case, Anna added: "It’s interesting as it highlights the nose power of a gundog – arguably the most ‘nosey’ of breeds. The fact that Jess is the main carer is significant as a change in routine will unsettle a dog.
"This combined with the ‘scent’ of the new person imprinted on her clothes etc, will be signalling to the cocker that this scent is the reason for the change in the dog ’s routine.
"The fact the cocker is ducking from attention is a sign that he is feeling a bit disgruntled, and conveying this emotion through body language, and avoidance.
"Plus, there’s the pack element to consider, dogs are social pack animals and stick together.
"So, it’s interesting that the cocker is leaning towards the husband for attention, it’s a natural behaviour for dogs to be helpers, to be loyal, to make us happy and have fun to ease situations.
"He could be over-compensating for his once main carer’s absence in the day, which has the common denominator of the new signatory scent – only available to the dog."
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
