5 Surprising Reasons Your Dog Stares At You

by dogtoyadvisor | Last updated on November 18, 2020

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Anyone who’s ever had a dog knows what we’re talking about.

Dogs are experts at staring.

And very patient at it too, if we might add. But not all stares are alike so we decided to investigate a bit further.

Why Your Dog Staring at You Is a Good Thing?

Whatever they reason why your dog is always staring at you, make no mistake, it’s a positive sign.

It’s a sign of the great bond you have, a sign that he’s very much focused on you.

So you must, in no way, discourage him from doing it, even if it makes you a little uncomfortable at times.

A Focused Dog is Easier to Train

A balanced, well-behaved dog needs a bit of training, even if it’s at the most basic level.

The fact that your dog is so used to focusing on you and you alone is a great first step for successful training.

And this is also true if you’re looking to go further with your dog’s training, like Obedience or Agility training, in which the dog must constantly watch his human for commands.

5 Reasons Why Your Dog Stares at You

We’re about to let you know the main 5 reasons why dogs love staring at their humans.

As you’ll easily see, most of them are out of love, affection and attention, all good things, right?

Remember, for your dog, you are the center of the Universe, the first and foremost important thing in his life.

So make the most of that and remember to reward your devoted dog accordingly.

#1 Longing, Sweet Eyes – You’re Dog Wants Something From You

You’ve got something he wants or the ability to do something for him.

Toys, food, petting, walks, playtime, whatever it is, your dog wants it. Maybe he wants to go out for a walk or to be let out into the garden.

Your dog is doing it because, most likely, you’ve taught him to do it.

If you ever gave your dog what he wanted because he was staring at you, that’s how he learned it.

The good news is some dogs get their human’s attention by engaging in destructive behavior, so consider yourself lucky all yours does is stare.

#2 Tilted Head – Your Dog is Trying to Understand You

You’re talking or doing something that makes your dog stare at you, with his head tilted to one side.

Cute right?

He’s trying to figure you out. he may even be confused!

Humans and dogs just don’t speak the same language.

But dogs are constantly trying to please us, so it can get tricky when they have no idea what we want!

If this is happening during training, it means you need to step back and reverse to the precious step, because your dog isn’t understanding what he’s supposed to do.

#3 Direct Stare and Hard Eyes – Your Dog is Feeling Tense

Odds are, you won’t get this type of stare from your dog.

You can however, receive it from other dogs or your dog can give it to other people.

Because this type or stare is a warning stare.

It means the dog is feeling tense, upset and nervous.

Often, this type of stare is followed by a bite,

Other signs to look out for when a dog is giving you this stare is a stiff tail, mouth closed, dilated pupils, increased breathing and overall body stiffness.

In such cases, the best thing to do is to walk away.

#4 Soft, Loving Eyes – Your Dog Loves You

This is the stare you’re probably most used to.

The love stare.

Your dog loves you and takes his time staring into your eyes because, while he does it, he’s releasing oxytocin aka the love hormone.