Genes might explain why dogs can't sniff out some people under stress

[Judi Lynn]

Dogs had trouble finding people with a shorter version of a gene involved in stress management
BY TINA HESMAN SAEY 2:45PM, FEBRUARY 27, 2019



ALTERED ODOR Being stressed or afraid may alter a person’s usual scent and throw dogs off the person’s track. People with a particular version of a gene may have a bigger change in odor when stressed, a study suggests.

ANASTASIIAM/SHUTTERSTOC


BALTIMORE — Some police dogs may smell fear, and that could be bad news for finding missing people whose genetic makeup leaves them more prone to stress.

Trained police dogs couldn’t recognize stressed-out people with a particular version of a gene that’s involved in stress management, geneticist Francesco Sessa reported February 22 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. The dogs had no trouble identifying the men and women volunteers when the people weren’t under stress. The study may help explain why dogs can perform flawlessly in training, but have difficulty tracking people in real-world situations.

Sessa, of the University of Foggia in Italy, and colleagues wondered whether fear could change a person’s normal scent and throw off dogs’ ability to find missing people. The researchers also investigated whether people’s genes might make some individuals easier or harder for dogs to pick out of a lineup.

Previous studies already had linked different versions of the serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4 to stress management. People with the long version of the gene tend to handle stress better than people with the short version, Sessa said.

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