Updated on February 21, 2023
Have you ever had the unsettling sense that someone was watching you? You may have noticed that when you bring a dog into the house, he or she may stare at you for long periods of time. The question “why does my dog stare at me so much?” is one you’ve definitely asked yourself when you’ve looked up from your plate to meet your pet’s gaze.
Your dog may be gazing for a number of different reasons, but ultimately, it’s a form of communication. Do you ever wonder what your dog is thinking as it sits there starring at you?
Why does my dog stare at me?
They’re trying to read you
Over the course of thousands of years living side by side with humans, canines have developed an uncanny ability to interpret our nonverbal cues. Hence, if your dog stares at you intently, it may simply be attempting to gauge your emotional state.
This is connected to the dog’s natural tendency to observe its human companions in order to learn about them and predict their behaviour. If you project an aggressive demeanour, people may back off until they determine if it’s safe to approach you. Or, if you’re in a good mood, they may gaze at you to determine whether or not you want to play with them.
They’re confused
It’s possible that your dog is staring at you in an attempt to decipher your facial expressions and hence, your commands, because it’s unclear what you want it to do. In fact, if your dog is gazing at you with a cocked head, it’s probably because it doesn’t know what to do and is attempting to infer what you want from your body language.
Perhaps your dog didn’t get the message when you asked it to perform a command like “down” and it just gazed at you instead. If they don’t respond the second time, you may try again or remember to devote extra time to training on that new command.
They’re trying to “talk” to us
Dogs will often “speak” to us by staring at us in an attempt to coax us into doing what they want. As a general rule, if your dog looks at you with those innocent puppy dog eyes, you should reward them by caressing them, bringing them a treat, or taking them for a walk. Many of these activities are great for your dog and may even be viewed as incentives for their attentiveness.
Our canines rapidly learn that fixing their gaze on us usually results in them getting what they desire. They start staring at us as a way of communicating when they need or desire something.
You may have discovered, for instance, that your dog will come and gaze at you if he or she has to use the restroom, even though you haven’t formally trained this behaviour. Sometimes dogs will do this, and they’ll make direct eye contact with you as they travel back and forth to the entrance, making it quite obvious what they want you to do.
It’s quite clear what your dog wants when it stares at you while you’re eating or cooking. They are gazing because they want some of that delicious meal you are preparing and eating and because they think they can get you to share.
Your dog loves you
The “love hormone,” oxytocin, is released when you stare at your dog or snuggle up with them. When mothers hold their newborns for the first time, they experience a surge of a hormone vital to the development of attachment. In any case, you’re not the only one feeling the effects of that euphoric hormone.
Your dog will experience an oxytocin high if they look at you lovingly or engage in good interactions with you, such as playing or snuggling.
As a result, your dog is gazing at you out of pure affection for you. Your dog is simply looking into your eyes because it is infatuated, much like when a human falls in love, they like to stare into the gaze of the object of their affection. That right there is a case of puppy love.
We humans are the only species that generally avoids staring into each other’s eyes unless we’re doing so to express our affection for one another. It appears that our canine companions are no different. A dog’s gentle gaze, relaxed or open lips, calm posture, and swaying or wagging tail are all telltale signs that he or she loves you and is just enjoying your presence.
It’s a comfort thing
A dog may be looking to you for reassurance if you are in an unfamiliar place or if there is something worrisome going on.
It’s common knowledge that when you take Fido to the vet, he or she will look away from the doctor and straight at you. They’re only trying to settle down and feel comfortable by knowing you’re there for them and receiving some affection from you in return.
They’re waiting for a cue
According to “Inside a Dog,” our canine companions constantly scan our faces and body language for clues about what’s going on or what the next step should be, including whether or not we’re on our way to grab their food dish.
It’s possible that your dog is gazing at you, waiting to see what you do next so it knows how to respond. They may be monitoring your every move, such as putting on your shoes, to see whether you’ll follow their example.
Some dog owners and trainers advocate rewarding a dog for paying attention to you and gazing directly at you during training. It makes sense to reward a dog for paying close attention to you since it will be more inclined to follow your orders. Giving your dog positive reinforcement for paying attention to you and staring at him will make him more likely to continue doing so in the future.
They’re trying to be aggressive
Not all eye contact is productive. Unless they desire to start a battle, most creatures in the animal kingdom will avoid staring into another animal’s eyes for an extended period of time, as this is often seen as a show of dominance or aggressiveness. We humans aren’t immune to “staring down” our opponents before a fight.
Dogs, like humans, may use their eyes to communicate aggressiveness. When a dog is being hostile, they may stare intently while standing extremely rigid and stiff, and they may even growl.
Inappropriate behaviours like resource guarding frequently go hand in hand with staring, as your dog watches you closely to make sure you don’t steal their cherished object and gives you the cold shoulder to demonstrate they’re ready to defend it.
Dogs may be intimidating, so if yours is glaring and making menacing noises or gestures, it’s best to take a step back in a relaxed manner. If the issue behaviour persists, you should seek the advice of a trained specialist.
A sign of something wrong
When a dog stares at you intently for extended periods of time, or stares off into space, it may be an indication of mental illness. This behaviour may indicate canine dementia in senior canines. Take your dog to the doctor if you’ve observed that he or she has been gazing a lot and if you’ve also seen any other behavioural changes, such as head tilting or housebreaking mishaps.
Why does my dog stare at me when I eat?
Considering that dogs try to communicate with humans by staring at us, this seems sense. Your dog is obviously very interested in what you’re eating and is attempting to convey to you that it would like a taste.
The “puppy eyes” look, which includes the dog’s eyebrows, developed so that dogs could communicate with people. They accomplish this in a variety of ways, one of which is by staring at us and making pleading noises until we give them food. Dogs have been shown to employ the “puppy-eyed” look to coerce their human companions into giving in to their wishes. Your dog is obviously attempting to communicate with you by looking at you while you eat in the hopes that you’ll give it some.
It’s likely that this sort of behaviour is also encouraged. Dogs are inherently curious creatures; it’s likely that your pet watched you eat because of how delicious your meal looked and smelled to him. Then, you gave them a treat when you saw they were looking, which, to your dog, appears like you’re encouraging that behaviour.
So now your dog knows that if it keeps looking at you as you eat, it will eventually get a treat. That’s why it’s important to ignore a dog that stares at you as you eat, rather than giving in to its pleading looks and feeding it.
What should I do if my dog is staring at me?
Ignore your dog if it is giving you unwelcome attention, such looking at you as you eat. They can wait in their bed or play with a toy while you eat, both of which are more productive activities.
Your dog doesn’t need to be discouraged if it stares at you right before you take its food dish since it’s just trying to predict what you’re about to do. I mean, come on, that’s just how people act!
Nevertheless, if your dog is looking at you aggressively and exhibiting other undesirable behaviours like resource guarding, you should consult with a professional veterinary behaviourist to assist you and your dog work through the problem.
