It’s nice to think that our beloved pets like to watch us just because they have such a
good bond with us and on some level, that might actually be true. We are just as important to them as they are to us. When someone is of value to you, you might find yourself looking at them more, either to see what they’re up to or just for comfort and our canine companions are no different.
They are trying to understand you
You might be asking yourself why your dog often stares at you without blinking and most of the time, they’re probably just trying to understand you. One of the main ways in which dogs communicate is through body language and so they learn a lot about us through our body language too. Your furry family member is always learning and trying to get more information about you. They learn your routines through watching you and it helps them develop an understanding of what to expect.
They might learn things like when you pick up a particular pair of shoes, it means you’re going to work. Have you ever wondered why your dog gets excited for a walk before you even pick up their lead? It’s because they’ve watched you so much and we are creatures of habit. You likely do the same routine every time of getting a particular coat or putting poo bags in your pocket that they know to associate it with a walk and know what’s happening before you even utter a word.
We also teach our dogs with a lot of body language cues like hand signals. Often, if you ask your dog to sit with just a hand signal instead of a verbal cue, they’re still likely to understand what you’re asking of them. Watching you means they’re never going to miss anything you ask of them and a chance to get a reward or some praise out of it.
They want something from you
Beyond watching you to understand what you’re doing, your pooch may look like they’re trying to communicate telepathically with you with an unwavering stare. This can often be when they want something but they might not have a way to ask for it. Often, you might be able to look at the situation as a whole to tell what they want. Just like if you have food and suddenly they’re at your feet with the biggest eyes in the world or if they’re sat near you with their ball dropped at your feet, they’re more than likely pleading for a game of fetch.
Dogs are quick to learn to associate things together; they’ll know where you keep their treats and their food and they may position themselves in these locations to ask for what they want. If you’ve gone through the toilet training process, you probably already know that lingering by the back door while watching for you means they need the toilet! Our beloved pets learn to do these things because they work. If your dog is staring at you, you will usually pay attention to them and try to work out what they want.
cSometimes, it’s just that, they want your attention and this behaviour can quickly turn attention seeking if they learn that staring at you will often get a response. Your attention is so valuable to your pets that they’re often working out how to get it.
To communicate how they’re feeling
Dogs communicate through their own body language and part of this is through the way they look at you. You are probably able to tell the difference between a person looking at you with affection and someone who is filled with a burning rage and it’s not that difficult to be able to read a dog’s emotions through the way they’re staring at you either.
When dogs are uncomfortable, they will often do what is called a hard stare. It’s an unblinking stare that is usually partnered with a tense expression and less friendly
body language. Most dog body language is to either create space or reduce it and a hard stare should always be given space. A dog will sometimes growl but not always so, learning what agitated body language looks like on your pup is important. If your pooch is usually happy go lucky but you find them hard staring at you, they could be injured or hurt or even protecting something like food or a toy.
If your pooch is looking at you with big almond eyes and lovely relaxed body language, it can be assumed that it’s a look of love. Making eye contact with you will often comfort them and their brain even releases oxytocin so they could just be getting a dose of some happy brain chemicals from making eye contact with you. Whatever the cause of your pooch staring at you, you can usually work out why through reading their body language and the situation as a whole.