Is your dog staring at you? This is what it means!
Anyone who has a dog at home knows those intense, lingering stares that their four-legged friend sometimes gives them. This behavior can have various causes, but one thing is sure: the animal wants to communicate.
Anyone who has a dog living at home or is regularly with a four-legged friend will surely have noticed it in one situation or another: dogs love to stare intently at their caregivers.
Whether it's during a cozy afternoon in the living room, while working in the office, on a walk in the forest or when meeting other dog owners and their four-legged friends, dogs constantly seek intense eye contact with their owners.
There are many reasons a dog might stare, but it always has one goal: to get attention. The animal is trying to communicate. We explain the most common situations in which dogs stare at their owners and how to interpret this gaze below.
Staring indicates an expectation.
There's hardly anything that makes owners weak at the knees like that famous puppy-dog look. One glance into the loyal, big eyes of their furry friend is enough to make them tempted to throw all training advice out the window and give in to the animal's every whim (which usually revolves around food).
Dogs are well aware of the power of their gaze – and they love to use it to beg for something from their owners. This could be the food that's currently on our plate, or the hope that some of the ingredients will fall to the expectant four-legged friend while we're cooking.
Anyone who can't resist the intense, sometimes even reproachful, gaze of their four-legged friend in such situations should be warned: giving in to that look will unconsciously train the animal to beg. The dog will associate begging with a reward. Consequently, it will repeat this behavior again and again.
Intense glancing for communication
For millennia, dogs have learned to communicate with humans. They can interpret our words, tone of voice, gestures, and facial expressions. In 2015, researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna even demonstrated that dogs understand the emotions displayed on a person's face—an ability that, according to current research, is unique in the animal kingdom.
If a dog is unsure what its owner wants or is trying to understand what its owner is saying, it will look attentively into its owner's eyes. Often, dogs tilt their heads and concentrate intently to decipher the sounds of words.
In such a situation, one can be aware of the animal's full attention and use it to its best advantage for training.
Searching for orientation and safety
In unfamiliar situations, when meeting other dogs, or in new places, dogs often seek eye contact with their owners. The animals express their uncertainty and hope to gain the orientation they need from this exchange of glances. In such moments, it's essential to respond attentively to the animal's nonverbal communication and convey the necessary security with clear commands or encouraging gestures.
Another situation in which dogs frequently seek eye contact and thus protection from their owner is when relieving themselves. In fact, dogs often keep a close eye on their human while defecating—a moment when they are very vulnerable.
Even though this behavior might irritate some people, it's perfectly natural. Dogs expect their owners to keep an eye on their surroundings so they can relieve themselves in peace without anything happening.
Glances as a sign of affection
When all of a dog's needs are met, he receives sufficient mental stimulation, and gazes at his owner in a relaxed posture, then the four-legged friend is looking for perhaps the most beautiful reason: love. With intense eyes, a dog wants to express his affection and say, "You mean everything to me."
The same hormone responsible for this is apparently also crucial for the mother-child bond in humans: oxytocin, also known as the "cuddle hormone." Intense eye contact between humans and dogs thus strengthens their relationship.