why is my dog staring at me

5 Reasons Why Your Dog Is Staring At You

Dogs love staring at us humans. For example, do you ever have those moments where you feel like you’re being watched…?

Washing the dishes, unloading the car, lying on the sofa, you feel like someone has eyes on you…

Finally, you turn your head, and voila! your adorable dog sits staring determinedly at you!

These cute albeit unsettling stares can be signs of communication, understanding, or even manipulation! It’s safe to say our dogs like to keep their eyes on us, just make sure they’re not giving you the side-eye.

If you’re curious about the reasons behind being your furry friend’s favourite eye candy then look no further. In this post, we’re going to explore the reasons why your dog loves staring at you, as we take another step toward understanding what makes our furry friends tick.

5 Reasons Why Your Dog Is Staring At You

1/ They’re Asking You For Something

When your dog is staring at you, they’re often doing so as a form of communication.

They’re trying to relay to you that there’s something they want or need such as food, walks, or even something as simple as your attention.

They use excessive staring as a tactic when we’re busy doing other stuff in order to catch our attention.

While it’s an effective way to grab our attention, we’re often guilty of reinforcing this behaviour unconsciously. By rewarding them with a treat every time, you can expect to find your dog staring at you even more!

2/ Reading Your Expression

Dogs use body language to communicate with other animals and people in their environment.

They’re very attentive to our body language, posture, facial expressions and much more. They pay attention to us so they can try and understand our actions.

So when you find your dog staring at you they may be trying to read your emotions, especially when you speak directly to them.

This means they’ll often fix their gaze on us if they believe we’re behaving abnormally – even if we aren’t!

3/ Pay Attention To Your Orders

It’s always a good sign when your dog stares at you during a training session. This means your dog is paying attention to your orders.

In fact, eye contact pays a key role in dog training.

Before each training session, establish eye contact with your dog to ensure you grab their attention.

4/ They’re Angry

Excessive staring from your dog combined with any form of aggression could be an indication your dog is challenging you.

If your dog is baring their teeth or growling you need to walk away slowly and wait for them to calm down.

If this behaviour is unusual or out of the ordinary, it’s advised that you bring your dog to the vet as this could be an indication that your dog is ill.

5/ Dogs Staring Out Of Love

Ever catch your dog looking at you with adoring eyes for no particular reason at all?

It must be love.

Scientific research has shown that when dogs stare into our eyes they activate the same hormonoal response that bonds us to human infants.

This study may explain how dogs became our beloved companions thousands of years ago.

Final Bark

Dogs love staring at us humans. The reasons can differ, but in the end of the day, we’re their world.

Just as we’re so special to them, we have to remember how special they are to us too. So, why not give your dog a BusterBox full of love, laughter and happiness for your canine companion.

Check out our post on why we’re the best dog treat box in the UK & Ire and see for yourself the packages we promise.

Be sure to check out our BusterBox blog as we discover what makes our dogs tick.