Eye contact

This is a very common reaction when I am photographing dogs.  The moment when they realize that I am staring at them.  A moment that can go many different ways. 


Eye contact changes everything.  Space circle boundaries (which I wrote about yesterday) will expand if there is eye contact involved.  Eye contact is huge in the dog world, it speaks volumes.  Just last night I was in the kitchen and heard a sound out front.  I went into the living room and froze, listening.  When I did this Elsa got off the couch and watched.  I then looked at her which made her go into an immediate sit.  Seeing her reaction, I relaxed my body and bent down to have a snuggle.  She'd seen my serious frozen posture and was curious; but the eye contact told her I was very serious so she sat which is her first sign of submission. 

Many dogs are just not comfortable with human eye contact.  It is a natural thing for them to veer away; especially if they are the timid or fearful type.  That said, there are all kinds of different eye contact.  When I get a new puppy I make sure that they learn about human eye contact being a good thing.  But even now at almost 3 years old, Elsa is very aware of eye contact.  If I hold her face close and look into her eyes; I can feel that she gets uncomfortable, not hugely, but she prefers if I look just to the side of her. It is a very natural response; especially in a dog so highly aware of body language.

Most people greet dogs by bending over towards them and looking directly at them.  Even if a dog barks uncomfortably they will continue looking directly into their eyes asking "what's wrong?"  A couple of years ago we had this exact situation at our house.  Elsa was working the crowd as she does and stopped in her tracks when she saw a guy with a hat on.  He leaned over starring directly at her and reached out his arms.  This made matters much worse; she kept her eye on him for the remainder of the evening. 

Eye contact is far more powerful than most people realize.  A fearful dog will never approach if you look at them but turn your head and they will slowly come closer.  I use a lack of eye contact in most of my training and I never give it when I first meet a client dog.  I will glance around and use my peripheral vision; but keep direct eye contact for later when we get to know one another.  Eye contact is so subtle that we can be sending so many messages to our dogs when we don't even know we are.  t is the whole inferior human thing. 

That same German Shepherd puppy in the park the other day (I wrote about yesterday) was very sensitive to eye contact.  She would move in if Elsa and Hank were not looking at her but the minute that they did, she moved away.  Eye contact can just be too much to handle in so many different situations.  The laser beam eye contact warning is the first line of defense from a dog.  It is very clear and dogs "get it." 

Eye contact is powerful, use it with caution.  Being that each dog is an individual; you must learn how your dog reacts to it and how to use it appropriately.  It is an amazing tool for communicating with your dog.  I use it regularly when Elsa is moving in too much on my food.  Pushing or yelling does little to thwart a dog moving in on your food; but throw them a serious eye threat and they "get it," immediately.  They may not heed the warning, that all depends on your relationship and training that you have done. 

Humans just don't get dogs to the degree that our dogs get us.  They can read us like a book.  Us?  Not so much.  Take care where you stare, eye contact is a powerful tool. 

Eye contact

Eye contact -  a meeting of the eyes of two persons, regarded as a meaningful nonverbal form of communication.

There are all different degrees of eye contact in dogs.  Eye contact is a powerful means of communication and it is something that I look for in puppies.  I love eye contact; looking down and seeing my dog looking back at me.  Eye contact is a funny thing; it is much more than a connecting of the eyes.  A lot can be said with a simple contact; that is depending on who the target contact is.

Elsa is a big eye contact dog, as is Luke.  The difference in the two now is simply age and experience.  Yesterday while Elsa and I were at the park; we passed by a dog who was giving Elsa a lot of eye contact.  She didn't like it; and it is quite understandable.  As we walked down the path and nearer to the dog; it just stood frozen staring.  The owner had it out on an extension and was not reeling it in at all.  I assessed the dog as best I could.  It looked older, maybe a Siberian/Cattle dog mix.  I knew immediately that Elsa was not going to like this as we got closer.  I kept my pace exact, my demeanor was calm and confident.  As we passed the dog, it continued to stare as I gave us some space by unnoticeably moving away ever so slightly.  

Just passed the dog and Elsa let out a huge snort.  She's a snorter and her snorts mean something.  They are typically when she is stressed or anxious; when she feels the need to say something.  Much like us saying "holy sh*%, what the heck or really?"  So when she snorts I listen; and I always look around to see what she is snorting at.  As we passed the man and his dog he said "she just likes to smell," but her smelling was an unnerving behavior for Elsa; who happens to be a reader.  It is what she does and she doesn't miss a thing. 

We could walk right past a dog with only inches apart and if the dog was minding it's own business, all would be fine.  As soon as that dog connects eyes, everything changes.  That is, it changes for Elsa; not all dogs.  Many dogs are oblivious to eye contact or they simply don't care.  Elsa doesn't dislike eye contact; she simply has a heighten awareness when it comes to it.  It is not just dog eye contact that she is aware of; she watches humans and their eye contact as well.  If someone stares at her she gets quite antsy.  She tries so hard to figure out what they are saying and if they are just staring and really saying nothing, it's just plain weird to her.  

Most dogs are very aware of eye contact; but like I said some are not.  When dealing with dogs, it is a good idea to be aware of your own eye contact.  Each and every time I walk into a new training clients house I will give no eye contact. Not until I see that the dog is completely comfortable with me and me moving around in their house do I give eye contact.  Even then I am careful and do it a bit at a time. 

We recently had a party at our house.  They were both loving everyone until; one guy who had a hat on startled Elsa.  He then tried very hard to be her friend by holding his hand out and staring at her.  Humans just don't get dog language.  How many times have I said to people "just don't look at her?"  Dogs care much more about eye contact than we do.  If you meet a dog who is shy or fearful; the worst thing you can do is to look at them.  You can look past them but not at them.  Dogs are very highly tuned to direct eye contact.  Even if I'm trying to round up Luke or Elsa for a bath, I will not look at them.  Once I do they know I'm coming for them. 

Luke use to be quite the guard dog.  But everything rested on body direction and eye contact.  When he was in the car; people could walk by just fine, even bump into our car.  But, if someone did the same thing and looked into the car at him, everything changed.  At 13 he doesn't care about a whole lot; nothing much gets him flustered.  But in his day he was very much an eye dog. 

When we meet new people each day, Elsa pretty much becomes a wiggle monster.  She adores people...but; if they look into her eyes when they are petting you can literally see her pull back.  There is a tiny message in those eyes; she is sure of it, even if the person means nothing by it.  For dogs, eye contact means a lot. 

Do you have an eye contact dog?  Watch them watch other dogs and people to see.  Eyes say a great deal, if you're paying attention.