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Dog Training Nation. The dog who looks away first is the submissive one, the dog who wins the staring contest is the dominant one. If neither dog looks away, a physical dogfight ensues. Over the years, dog trainers who operate on the dominance model have used this tactic, reasoning that the dog must be taught it is submissive to humans and this is just one tool used to achieve that end.
What you're really doing, however, is teaching the dog that this canine behavior of not making eye contact except to give the threat of aggression applies to humans as well. This has dangerous implications.
The best-case scenario is that you wind up with a mildly fearful dog who does not make prolonged eye contact with humans.
The next-best-case scenario is that you wind up with an extremely fearful dog who does not make prolonged eye contact with humans. The worst-case scenario is that you wind up with a dog who reacts aggressively any time a human makes eye contact with him. Another study from revealed that when a dog looks us in the eyes, we release oxytocin — a hormone released when mother dogs nurse their puppies — into our bloodstreams. As well as strengthening your bond, more eye contact with your dog can be useful because it can help them become more focussed, and in turn help them become better at training and sports.
If distractions prevent your dog from learning new tricks or co-operating with you in agility tasks, training them to look into your eyes on cue can help to gently direct them back to the task at hand and become more disciplined as a result.
Handy Hint: Other studies have suggested that dogs believe owners are their parents. Building up trust with eye contact would certainly support that.
If your dog is the one making the eye contact and staring at you, you might be wondering what is behind their desire to stare at you. There is more than one reason why they suddenly might be watching you like a hawk, but all of them are important and worth paying attention to. One major reason why a dog might find themselves staring into your eyes is that they are trying to read your emotions.
It is often said that eyes are the window to the soul, so if you catch your dog staring deeply into your eyes, it may well be that they are trying to look through that window themselves. This is particularly true if you have previously trained your dog using methods related to positive reinforcement. As mentioned, if treats or other rewards are often factored into these activities, you can be sure that your dog will be keen to act upon any sign that you want them to perform a trick.
It is also worth noting that with the absence of language, dogs rely heavily on our body language and actions to understand their environment and what could be happening next.
In fact, mutual staring between humans and dogs releases oxytocin, known as the love hormone. This chemical plays an important role in bonding and boosts feelings of love and trust. The same hormone that is released when a new mother looks at her baby is also triggered when you look at your dog.
No wonder our dogs like to stare at us all the time. Most dog staring is a combination of affection and attention. While it may make you uncomfortable, your dog is most likely fascinated by you. So rather than discouraging that human-centric focus, you can make it work for both of you. First, be aware of the signals you give your dog. For example, are you saying sit with your words but something completely different with your body language? Help your dog understand your intentions by being consistent and clear.
Second, a focused dog is easier to train. If your dog is looking at you, the surrounding distractions are less likely to get in the way. Finally, consider using that intense eye contact to give you a performance boost at dog sports. And in sports like Obedience and AKC Trick Dog , dogs need to learn very specific and exact behaviors, then execute them without being distracted. Dogs that are attentively staring towards their humans will learn faster and perform better. Need some help training your dog?
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