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What Are Pheromones and How Do They Impact a Dog's Behavior?

What Are Pheromones and How Do They Impact a Dog's Behavior?

Updated On August 21st, 2000

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Reviewed By Petco’s Animal Care, Education and Compliance (ACE) Team

Nonverbal communication occurs in animals by means of chemical messages known as pheromones. Pheromones can be used to elicit certain behaviors or even to help prevent unwanted behaviors. Below, learn more about what natural and synthetic pheromone are and how they can help your pet. 

What Are Pheromones? 

Unwanted pet behaviors can be influenced or even stopped by using synthetic pheromones. Pheromones are chemical substances produced by an animal to serve as a stimulus for behavioral responses in others of the same species. Pheromones are secreted by glands (including anal sacs) and are found in saliva, feces, and urine. Their purpose is to induce specific reactions (behavioral and emotional), including sexual behaviors, aggression, fear-related behaviors, and avoidance reactions. 

Olfactory information (smell) plays an important role in many animal species. For example, the sense of smell in companion animals is developed to a much higher degree than in humans - as much as 50 times greater in some dog breeds. For this reason, dogs can detect substances at concentrations between 1,000 to 100,000 times lower than humans. 

Pheromones are not in this alone. In addition to pheromones, the vomeronasal organ (also called Jacobson's organ) plays an essential role in olfactory communication in many species. Located in the roof of the mouth, this organ consists of two, fluid filled sacs that connect to the nasal cavity via fine ducts. To facilitate the perception of pheromones, especially sexual odors, many species conduct a behavioral process called 'flehmen' whereby they lift their upper lip and open their mouths to increase the opening of the ducts connecting the Jacobson's organ with the nasal cavity. Jacobson's organ contains receptors which detect pheromones and send "messages" to the brain, resulting in a behavioral response. 

How Can Synthetic Pheromone Products Help Pets? 

Certain pheromones have been isolated, studied, and synthetic versions created. Research has focused on different applications of synthetic pheromones that may affect behavior of various species, including insects, farm animals, dogs, cats, and even humans. An example of how pheromones can be used to alter behavior include the application of sexual attractants on insect traps to control pests.

There are synthetic pheromone products available to pet parents for helping to reduce nervousness and separation anxiety in dogs. Commonly known as Dog Appeasing Pheromones, these pheromones are secreted by nursing mother dogs to help calm their pups. This makes meal time less stressful for the pups. Synthetic Dog Appeasing Pheromones mimic the calming effect that a mother dog's pheromones would have on her pups. These pheromone products can be used by pet parents to help ease anxiety caused by many different situations in their pets at home. Dog Appeasing Pheromones affect both pups and adults. 

Pheromones play an important role in olfactory communication. While your dog may be getting a message loud and clear from pheromones, pheromones are species specific so humans cannot detect canine pheromones. 

 

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