Dog Eye Contact | Bonding With Your Dog Using Eye Contact

If your dog no longer knows the value of eye contact with humans, you can easily learn it. This is a positive reinforcement operation – your dog knows that his behavior can do good things:

Dog eye contact bonding is basically making sure that you’re physically looking at them while they are looking back at you. Dogs have been known to bond with their owner solely based off of eye contact. While in training, it’s important to look at a dog’s eyes to make sure that you’re paying attention to what he/she is doing. Most dogs love the interaction with humans and will always return the favor.

Asking for help

If you need assistance with something, don’t hesitate to ask for it. If you know a dog can do something for you, ask if they would mind doing it for you. Don’t forget about asking a friend or family member for help either. Sometimes we don’t think twice about requesting assistance until it’s already too late.

Being honest

Never lie to your dog. Even if it seems harmless, lying will only cause problems to arise later. You never want to trick a pet into something harmful. A good way to tell if a person is telling the truth is to listen to his voice. If he isn’t being truthful, you’ll notice hesitation, uncertainty, or some kind of change in tone within his words.

“A dog’s eyes reflect emotion.”

This is true. A dog’s eyes do indeed hold information about what they’re feeling. There are two types of eye contact a dog makes while interacting with its humans. One is called direct gaze; the other is called averted gaze.

Direct Gaze

When using a direct gaze, your dog makes eye contact with you. This shows a sense of trust between you and your pup. Also, this type of contact is often accompanied by tail wagging, which is a sign of affection. Dogs show off their happiness by wagging their tails.

Averted Gaze

An averted gaze is the opposite of a direct gaze. When dogs make averted gaze, they’re hiding something – whether it’s pain, fear, anger, sadness, etc. This type of eye contact is usually accompanied by body language such as ears back, fur raised on the neck, turning away, crossing their legs, lowering their head, etc. These are all signs of discomfort and negative emotions.

Dog Eyes Reflect Emotion

The eye reflects the mind. If the dog seems sad, then the human should try not to react emotionally when he sees his face. Instead, look at him directly and talk to him softly. Try not to show any disgust or anger towards your beloved pet. Be aware of your own feelings and don’t get angry if your dog looks sad.

How To Make Dog Eye Contact

There are three ways you can make effective dog eye contact :

• Stand upright and face them.
• Sit down and face them.
• Face each other and stand side-by-side.

What dog eye contact may mean

Ok, so clearly dog eye contact is a great way to bond and strengthen the relationship between you and your pet. But that’s not all it’s good for! Your dog’s eye contact can actually tell you a lot about your pet, his personality, and his needs at any given moment.

Obviously, there’s no way to definitively conclude what your dog’s eye contact means (it’s not like he can tell you!). But if your pet is making dog eye contact, here are a few things it might mean:

• He needs something from you. Like we just mentioned, dogs don’t have the luxury of being able to tell you what they want. So often times, they use eye contact as a way to communicate. If your dog is staring at you, it could be because he needs something (for example, maybe he needs to go outside). Put on your detective hat and see if you can figure out what your dog is asking you for with his eyes.
• He wants to connect. You want to bond with your dog—but your dog wants to bond with you, too! If your pet comes up to you and gives you the good, old-fashioned “puppy dog eyes,” he might just be looking for a little quality time. If you notice your dog making eye contact, give him a few minutes of your undivided attention.
• He’s got a confident and charismatic personality. Just like eye contact is a sign of confidence in humans, your dog’s eye contact could just be a way for him to show off his confident and charismatic personality. Confident dogs sometimes make eye contact with humans as a way to connect; in fact, eye contact is considered a sign of charisma at dog shows! Once those show dogs look into the judge’s eyes and show them how cute, sweet, and loving they are? The competition is pretty much over.

Connect with your pet and make dog eye contact today!

As a pet parent, you want to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to bond with your pet. And, as it turns out, all you need to take advantage of one of the best canine bonding opportunities is a few minutes and your own eyes.