If you have ever had a dog, you will know ‘the stare’. Your dog may watch you while they are chewing their kong. You may be reading a book and your dog is sitting next to you, staring. You may find yourselves staring lovingly into each other’s eyes.
Dogs love to stare at their person, and you have probably spent some time pondering the reason for this. There are many reasons why your dog is staring at you.
1. Your Dog Is Studying You
Dogs are closely connected to humans. They can pick up on your mood, based on your facial expression, body language, and energy. Have you ever had your dog come to comfort you when you are feeling sad? That’s because they know you, they have been watching you for a while.
2. Your Dog Is Waiting For A Signal
Your dog is looking at you to gain information about the environment. Have you ever tried to imitate barking and your dog starts barking and rushes to the front door thinking there is someone there? That’s because they are following your signal.
Dogs in a loving relationship with their person will trust their guidance. Dogs who love learning will often wait for a command they have been taught, in hope of getting a reward in return.
They will form a habit of staring at you if you’ve used positive reinforcement in their training. They will just want to learn more if it means getting a treat or playtime!
3. Your Dog Is Trying To Tell You Something
Your dog is trying to communicate something to you. When it’s dinner time, they may come and let you know by staring at you. If they want to go outside they may sit by the door and look at you. If it has worked to get your attention in the past, they will learn to ask you for something in that way.
4. You Taught Your Dog To Stare
Some dogs have learned begging behavior through staring. When they were a puppy, and they gazed at your food, and you gave them something, they received positive reinforcement.
Generally, people give their dogs food from their plates out of guilt and in hope that the staring will stop. However the first time your dog stares at your food they are simply curious. If you don’t give them anything they will direct their attention elsewhere.
If your dog already has begging behavior it would be best to use positive reinforcement to teach them to do something else while you are eating. For example, you could give them a kong filled with treats to chew on during your dinner time.
If you suddenly stop giving them bits from your plate, they will try new ways of getting your attention such as barking. It is better to reward new behavior instead of trying to stop the current behavior.
5. Your Dog Is Sharing How They Feel
Your dog will express both negative and positive emotions by staring. Instinctively, dogs consider hard staring as disrespectful. Never look a strange dog in the eyes as they will generally perceive it as threatening.
You will be able to recognize this reaction in your own dog through their body stiffening. It may happen if they are protective of something such as food. If this is the case it is a good idea to reach out to a behaviorist for help.
A loving stare from your dog is an expression of affection. Just as when humans fall in love and stare into each other’s eyes, dogs and their owners also do this.
Looking into each other’s eyes releases the love hormone called oxytocin and this deepens your connection with your dog. It creates love and trust between the two of you. It is no wonder why your dog loves to stare at you.
Why Your Dog Staring At You Is In Your Favour
Generally, your dog staring at you means they are idolizing you. Learning about their staring can help you to communicate effectively with your dog. When they are busy staring, be aware of your own body language.
Your dog is looking for clarity on what you are trying to tell them so make sure you are not giving them any mixed signals. That is, if you say something, your body language should indicate the same thing. It will take time for you to learn how your dog interprets you.
Your dog concentrating on you is a great opportunity to train them. A command you may learn in puppy school is ‘watch’. You can say this while they are looking at you and reward them with a treat. Once they have learned that watch means looking at you, you can use this when you need their attention.
It is useful in situations where you want to direct their attention elsewhere so they, for instance, stop chewing your shoe!
What do you think it means when your dog stares at you? Please share!
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