What your dog wants you to know about eye contact

Eye Contact

Us doggos are natural observers and we can spend lots of time staring at our hoomans. Mummy often wonders why I is staring weirdly at her.

Well there are several reasons why I mights stare at you mummy, and it’s not cos me thinks you is pretty…

Reading You

I is very in tune with mummy. I can sense her moods (she can be quite moody, especially when I has been naughty). I understand her gestures, like when she puts her hand out flat she wants me to lie down. And, like a mind reader, me knows what is going to happen next by what she does.

So me stares at, I means “make eye contact with”, mummy so that I gets knowledge about my environment. Me knows that when she opens the fridge door, food is coming. So me watches for when she goes to the kitchen, as there is a chance me might get food. Admittedly there is hooman food in the fridge too, but me don’t care what I eats, me loves food remember?

And when she gets me muzzle out the cupboard, me knows I is going on my super fun lunchtime walk with me buddies. I don’t often needs to wear me muzzle, but my dog walkers take it just in case. Me gets soooo excited about me lunchtime walkies.

I is looking at mummy for cues, cos that means I might get treatos. So when she sticks her finger up in the air, me needs to sits down on me bum, and then I gets treato. Me constantly watch her for cues…

Trying to tells you somefing

Sometimes me makes eye contact with mummy to get her attention. Like if me needs to pee pee between walks me will stand at the front door and stare at her (she can feel me eyes on the back of her head).

Or if mummy or the lovely Rita is eating, me will sits and stare and stare and stare, cos me is super hungry and am trying to tell thems that I needs feeding right now or me will starve to death. Or is it cos I is trying to make them feel guilty and share their food with me???

Telling you how I is feeling

Did you know that my ancestors (wolves they is called) considered staring to be rude and threatening? Well, me and some other dogs are still a bit like that. That’s why you strangers shouldn’t stare at us. Or else me will give you a hard stare right back, with unblinking eyes and make me body stiff. If I does that, you should back away from me and stop staring cos it’s rude!

However, me loves mummy so she can stare at me all she likes. We often stare at each whilst sat on the sofa, that’s cos we loves each other and we are showing each other affection. If she lucky, me might also give her kisses whilst staring into her eyes…

Look at me

One of the tricks mummy taught me (I will teach you that in one of my Tips & Tricks blogs), is “Look at Me”. She often uses it when we’re out and about. So if I sees another dog that me don’t like the look of, and that I might start barking at, mummy will say “Look at Me.”

Now, me don’t always listen cos I gets bored of hearing her voice, and sometimes the other dog is just far too mean looking and I is super stressed.

But other times, I will look at her. I’ll turn me little head up and stare lovingly into her eyes (too gushy me know, sorry furiends). And guess whats? Me gets treatos!! That’s the least I deserves for having to look at her face…..

If you’re interested in reading more about this, this scientific article is a good start!

Until next time furiends!