Dog Brain MRI Results: Owner's Scent Stimulates Reward Center

The behavior of pets carrying away or sitting on clothes or socks left behind by their owners is not just a simple habit, but an instinctive behavior to seek psychological stability through the owner's scent. According to a video from the Uri Dongne Suiuisa YouTube channel, pets show a response where the reward center of the brain is activated when they smell their owner's scent.

Dog Brain MRI Results: Reward Center Responds to Owner's Scent

According to an experiment conducted at a university in the United States, interesting results appeared when the brain's response was measured via MRI after letting dogs smell various scents. The dogs in the experiment were presented with five comparison groups: the scent of an acquaintance, the scent of a stranger, the scent of a dog they live with, the scent of an unknown dog, and the scent of their owner.

As a result of neuroscientific analysis, dogs showed the most active response in the brain's reward center when they smelled their owner's scent. The reward center is the area that responds when a living being has a happy or pleasant experience. The video explained that the reward center's response was several times more activated when dogs smelled their owner's scent than when they smelled the scent of other dogs they live with. For owners, this means that socks or clothing that might feel like they have a strong smell can act like perfume to a pet.

How to Use Scent for Pets Experiencing Separation Anxiety

These characteristics of pets can be utilized to alleviate 'separation anxiety' symptoms, where pets feel anxious about being left alone when the owner goes out. When an owner leaves the house, placing clothing or socks containing their scent near the cushion or living space where the pet mainly stays can help the pet feel much greater stability and reduce anxiety.

In fact, there are many cases where owners of dogs or cats hospitalized at veterinary hospitals bring clothes they usually wear for the stability of their pets. This is a part that is confirmed in the field—that pets gain psychological comfort through the owner's scent. The behavior of a pet seeking the owner's belongings can be understood not merely as exploring an object that smells, but as an action to feel a sense of connection through the scent based on affection and trust toward the owner.