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For many thousands of years wolves have lived, played and hunted together as a very close knit family or pack. This close bonding between pack members over time was crucial so that the wolves could rely on one another when it came time to hunt for food. Body language and other cues where absolutely imperative to be successful in making a kill. It took close teamwork to outwit their prey. A kind of mindset among the wolves seems very plausible.

As with humans, a very close relationship at times makes it seem possible to read another's mind. This was most likely the case with the wolves also in the form of an enhanced sixth sense or telepathic communication between pack members. This enhanced sixth sense would also be used to determine the fear level of the wolve's prey. Combined with scent cues and body language, the wolves had plenty of info on how to proceed with acquiring their prey. It was part of the key to the survival for their species.

As we know now, dogs are the direct descendants of the Gray wolf so it would stand to reason that they would also share this trait of telepathic communication. We do know that as with the wolf their other senses such as hearing and sense of smell are highly developed also, many times over that of a human's. Many of us have also experienced what we felt was a form of sixth sense communication with our dogs. This telepathic sense has also been observed with dogs and the disabled or young/elderly.
Dogs have also been known to sense when a person is up to ill will or when a catastrophe such as a hurricane or earthquake was about to happen.

Recently a study was done and written up in the journal of "Learning and Behavior" about canine behavior. The Purpose of the study was done to determine the origins of exactly how it is that dogs respond to human gestures and was conducted by researchers from the University of Florida. This was done by specifically focusing on what was referred to as "attentional states" developed by lead researcher, Monique Udell.

A group of dogs were used in one test and a group of wolves in another to determine if there might be a genetic link between the dogs and the wolves. They also wanted to rule out a genetic barrier that would prevent the wolves from responding as the dogs did. Both wolves and dogs were given the choice to beg for food from a person with her face or eyes concealed, versus one whose attention was fixed solely on the animals.

What they found out is that both the dogs and the wolves were less likely to beg for food from the researchers who had their faces/eyes concealed to them. This indicates a "capacity to behave in accordance with a human's attentional state." In layman's terms, most of the dogs and wolves displayed some kind of possibly inherent ability to sense how people were acting.

This really should come as no surprise to those of us who are familiar with canine and wolf behavior. Thousands of years of developing the wolf into a fine tuned hunter and a loving pack member would most definitely play a part in this enhanced ability of a sixth sense.

Responses to "The Sixth Sense of Wolves- Fact or Fiction : Can they read your mind?"

  1. Anonymous says:

    I would put more credit in this study if the people with their faces hidden were in fact "dog People" . For most humans, having their face and eyes covered affects their own projection and body language-which impacts the canines behavior.
    If you took a blind individual familiar and comfortable with a loss of visual contact, and familiar with dogs, The confidence exuded in their body language alone would impact (positively)the animals response to the human.

  2. Sheiler K says:

    A very good point made about the comfort level of people who are blindfolded! I'd like to have seen a lot more examples of tests that were done. One rather arbitrary test really means very little. But, that being said, I've interacted extensively with both wolves and dogs and don't need any tests to know that they read us like books!! Far better than we can read them, although that can be learned to some extent, with attention and practice.

  3. Bruce D Larweth says:

    I think this test is skewed and in fact came to wrong conclusion, although I won't say it's concrete or anything ok here it is:
    The fact the dogs did not take food from a concealed face means that it prefers (they) prefer clues given to them by ambient condition or "visual cue's" say, in a persons "look" that is perceived, now if they did in fact have a sixth sense, the only way this would be "proven" is if the "concealed" had bad intensions or "ill" towards animals, this points out what any dog lover knows to be true, they can be intelligent and quite often are, going off of visual cue's isn't different, in fact, it's natural and the fact canines have almost perfected this is no surprise as they don't have the capacity to talk to to no vocal cords like humans, or Parrots even.
    I am not a scientist so what I have said may be BS, but as a critical thinker I have to say this was flawed from the start and really proved little...

  4. Anonymous says:

    Human's have yet to conquar their true abilities of the mind as most only use a small portion of it, however, Dog's have conquared their mind's in all respect. They do have a sixth sense! We will learn from them some day that we too can tap that "ability". Note that our science has already recongonized this in some human's. DOGS RULE!! &:-)=<

  5. Anonymous says:

    As a researcher, I have to agree with some of the above comments. The methods of research could be tighter. There are far more reasons why the animals might not have begged from the blind folded researchers than what they state.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Anyone has the capacity to pick up on or read someones fear or hatred towards them. Weather through eyes or actions. It is not far fetched to believe that animals have the same ability, more so than humans, if you ask me. I have always been taught to show fear in the eyes of a dog/wolf would cause them to fear us but if we showed trust and respect, they would trust & respect us. I believe that we can communicate with the wolf through eye contact. Would I trust that enough to stand eye to eye with a wolf? Absolutely! I think it all comes down to respect for each other.

  7. Anonymous says:

    The truth is that we won't/can't know if canids or other species communicate telepathically until we figure out how to communicate with them in any way. What I can say is that I have witnessed animals react and respond to what is happening to others in their family when they could not possibly hear or see what was happening. This tells me that some other form of communication is occurring regardless of whether or not we acknowledge it or know what to call it. I have witnessed this with such consistency that it could not possibly be called coincidence. If you subscribe to Occam’s razor, or possess a healthy level of inductive reasoning skills....you will arrive at the answer. Yes.

  8. All I know is that all 3 of my dogs do not like it if me or my fiancee cover our faces where they can't see us they get agitated they always have to see our faces. In turn if they can't see us they eigther grab our arms to stop us from hiding or what ever we use to hide with I love the fact that they see me as their alpha female

  9. Anonymous says:

    thats been known for years

  10. Anonymous says:

    I HAD A ROTTIE THAT DID EVERYTHING I TOLD HER TO DO AND WHEN I WOULD TEST HER BY GOING OUT OF THE ROOM AND JUST THINK OF WASHING HER EARS SHE ALWAYS GOT UP OFF THE COUCH AND GO HIDE IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM.IT DID NOT MATTER WHAT DATE ,TIME OR SINK I WAS AT PREPARING THE CLOTH I WAS TO USE,JUST MY THOUGHTS.THEY DO COMMUNICATE TELEPATHICALLY WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH HUMANS,YOU JUST NEED TO LISTEN AND HEED WHAT THEY SAY.THEY DO NOT NEED TO SEE YOUR FACE OR EYES ONLY THE THOUGHT WAVES.IT HAS BEEN SAID OVER TIME ALL ANIMALS AND HUMANS WILL INTERACT TELEPATHICALLY!!!!

  11. Anonymous says:

    My cats can also read my mind! They know when they are going to get their flee treatment and they then make a run for the nearest door!

  12. Anonymous says:

    Our four Siberian Huskies know EXACTLY what we are thinking, and act upon those thoughts accordingly. Without a word to me, husband goes to put shoes on with the intention of taking them out to run in the scooters/sled - and they come racing down from the four corners of the house! He can be on the phone any time of day to nephew to ask 'what are you doing' (meaning "want to run the dogs?") but varies question and varies phrasing so as to try and prohibit excitement in case nephew can't go. The dogs SWARM around him - they KNOW what he is talking about and get all excited and desperate to go. He wears different shoes depending on where they are going so that is not a 'unique clue' for them. If husband is putting same shoes on to go to local supermarket - the dogs DON'T respond, don't bother getting up and remain exactly where they are. Their runs do not occur at a specific time so no clues there, they don't go to the same place (so no special pair of shoes/boots), we deliberately don't use the same phrases "going out?", "going running?", "walkies?"... so as not to raise their hopes if it later transpires we can't do it. There is no rhyme or reason for us deciding to go - there is no rhyme or reason WHY they know when we DO decide to do it - except telepathy. And as they are scattered throughout the house (one always lies in the laundry room, another prefers our bed, another always sleeps on the Conservatory sofa...) they DON'T SEE our eyes... But our dogs are VERY sensitive to WHATEVER we are doing! And if it seems interesting to them, ie going to visit daughter in Glasgow, they come running to make it known they are interested in doing it too! If we come in with shopping for humans, they stay where they are. If there's a dog treat in the bag, they ALWAYS come running and are behind the front door before we even come in! How do they know there is something in the bag for them? Are their senses of smell so keen they can smell their treat as we come up the garden path?? I don't think so... There are SO MANY examples of them knowing what we are considering doing, before we tell them. And they know what they want to join in to, and what they don't - and they act - or NOT - accordingly. My older female looks JUST like a wolf and I have never, EVER known a dog to be so intuitive! The others are GREAT too - but Aurora (the mother of the other three) is JUST AMAZING!

  13. Anonymous says:

    I believe, if you can direct your mind to connect with your dog,it will respond and it can do the same to you. /the details may not be explicite, but a sense has been conveyed and recieved both ways. I have huskies and the alpha has a mind that has no limits to distance. I am only one of many that will reveal similar comments, too many comments to be ideology.

  14. Anonymous says:

    This is hardly newsworthy............years of research have already been done and published. We know all this already. Disappointing.

  15. Hatty says:

    Rupert Sheldrake puts it in a more high-falutin' way ("morphic resonance") but sixth sense makes more sense to my mind.

  16. Unknown says:

    I met a woman who was raising a rotti at a fishing pier. Her dog came n started to eat my bait, I scold the dog n yet it still made himself comfortable laying next to me. She approached me wanting to know more about fishing n I informed her I was moving to another fishing pier, she said I will follow u. Then I asked why do u trust me? My dog does this tells me you are a good person. Later at the new pier her sleeping dog would wakeup whenever a certain man would pass by n growl. The woman said that man is either a bad person but from the growls he is carrying a gun. I laughed n said ur right I'm sure he's packing since he put many people behind bars, u see he's a retired police officer! But he's the nicest person u will ever need. This woman called her dog a Spiritual Dog, stating rottweilers have an extra sense that warns them of danger n much more!

  17. Jerry/ Wolfwarrior says:

    I have a high percentage wolf hybrid i have raised from a very small puppy. She is now eleven years of age and completely bonded with me, and me only. She certainly seems to read my mind if i work at it a bit, such as when i walk her, which is every day, she will turn in the directions i want her to, if I set my mind to it.I have found it a bit "spooky" at times, but have gotten used to it.I have come to believe, that we only know a small portion of what a canine ----especially a wolf or hybrid, can sense.

  18. Sylvia Zamarron says:

    Jerry, what a gift u have in ur girl. I can understand the spookyness but she has that special gift telling us of her amazing iq. She must be super smart!

  19. Sylvia Zamarron says:

    Jerry, what a gift u have in ur girl. I can understand the spookyness but she has that special gift telling us of her amazing iq. She must be super smart!

  20. Anonymous says:

    All this research shows is that animals are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. Humans communicate their emotions primarily through the face, animals understand this. You don't always have to look for explanations in telepathy or energy or whatever, usually things can be explained with common everyday stuff. Animals don't need to have magical abilities to gain our respect, we should respect them because they are like us.

  21. Anonymous says:

    Yes, I have proof that the wolf CAN read your mind. I know this first hand, and even wrote a book on this fact. Most animals most likely can. But, there is nothing magical about that. It is just FACT !!! Manager and Author of "Riding the White Wolf"

  22. Anonymous says:

    My hybrids are always reading me they are constant body language readers. I have also trained them with a few hand signals and no words in some areas.

  23. Anonymous says:

    My companion is 3/4 Siberian, 1/4 Wolf and is about 6 years old now. I bought her from a breeder at 7 weeks. I am upper-body disabled and 65, female and live alone. She is the only part wolf I have ever "owned," compared to many different breeds of dogs, and is remarkable and unique. She is absolutely bonded and loyal. She exhibits the same "parenting/protective" behavior also toward children, even children who are strangers to her, but is not act like a guard dog. She can sense when I am in pain, although I have trained myself in every conceivable way to shield this from others, and will respond by licking my hand and laying by me. She is able to perceive intent in humans and animals, and has been a flawless judge of character so far. Once when we were going through a prospective old schoolhouse with a realtor, she refused to go into a part of the house by flattening herself on the floor. The agent was completely amazed. After we left the house, he told me the reclusive man who had lived in an apartment in that part of the schoolhouse was now in prison for murder, and that crimes had been committed there. One time winter hiking with others and their dogs on a mountain trail, she flattened again, refusing to allow me to pass large boulders on either side. We carried her, whimpering. through. When we came back, the area was littered with puma tracks in the new snow. Too many anecdotes to relate, but now I listen.

  24. Unknown says:

    Wolves can read minds? I MUST LEARN FROM THEM!

  25. Anonymous says:

    Don't remember where I read/saw this study, but they put cameras in dog-owners homes, and at the owners work, and they could see that at the moment the owner prepared to leave work (and they constantly changed the hours) the dogs reacted at home...that if nothing else, proves that the dogs can read minds, since there was no other signes at home to read....

  26. Anonymous says:

    I agree with the fact that the research is limited. A laboratory study proves nothing if you are conducting research on humans and animal behaviour. Both will act differently. If they are psychic then they know it's a BS study. end of story

  27. Anonymous says:

    Ihad a half wolf/black lab, more wolf than lab and had to put to rest at 14 yrs. of old age in May. I miss him. I hope you all don't think I am wrong in having him cremated, but he is on a night stand next to me every day. DAKOTA

  28. Anonymous says:

    I think man and wolf share a prehistoric bond, of nomadic hunters searching for food. Eventually man and wolves came together, providing food and shelter to one another. Back when primal instinct kept pushing us forward.

  29. Anonymous says:

    I don't think it's weird to have your dog cremated, I recently lost my great Pyrenees, Callahan. My asshole neighbor poisoned him.

  30. Anonymous says:

    Yes they can I know this for a fact , read your mind. and they all so know when some thing is wrong. they know are feelings.

  31. Anonymous says:

    My dog is a timber wolf siberian huske and knows a bad soul when she sees one. There is this terrior that has been chiped by humane society which in the bible explains the mark of the beast which in my opinion is why she feels aggressive toward him but is fine around other little dogs. I believe there is evil in some animals.

  32. Raisa says:

    Though earthquake can be forecasted,it is possible to forecast natural disasters like tornado, storms and all that which may be proven very helpful for society, living and people. Weather measuring instruments for well farming is an example for that.

  33. I agree, the test seemed incomplete. However...Ive had 2 beloved dogs in my life that were uncanny in their ability to "read my mind". Even knowing at a distance of 10 to 25 miles what was happening with me. I had witnesses in several instances say your dog knew you were in distress, or she knew you were coming home unexpectedly. Ive had uncanny incidents happen with my dogs. Of course other dogs that were loveable goofs and not more. But 2 that KNEW more sensed more many many times.

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