Why Does My Dog Stare at Me? 9 Reasons Your Dog Won't Stop Watching You

If you live with a dog, you'll know the stare. You're making a sandwich and they're watching. You're sitting on the sofa and they're watching. You get up to go to the toilet and, naturally, they need to come along too because apparently you've never demonstrated that you're capable of managing this particular task alone.

Some dogs are subtle about it. Others will sit on the opposite side of the room and watch you with such concentration that you start wondering whether you've forgotten something important.

So why does your dog stare at you?

There isn't one simple answer. Dogs pay an enormous amount of attention to us and research into canine behaviour has shown that gaze can form part of the way dogs communicate with humans. What that look actually means depends on what's happening at the time, what your dog has learnt in the past and, importantly, what the rest of their body is doing.

Here are nine of the most likely reasons.

1. They're Watching What You're Doing

We spend a lot of time trying to understand our dogs, but it's worth remembering that they're doing exactly the same thing to us.

Dogs are very good at noticing the little things we do. Putting a certain pair of shoes on might mean a walk. Picking up your keys might mean you're leaving the house. Opening one particular cupboard could mean something much more interesting, especially if that's where the treats live.

Research has shown that dogs pay attention to human gestures, body position and gaze, so sometimes they're not staring because they want anything at all. They're simply watching you to work out what is about to happen next.

2. They Want Something

Of course, sometimes the answer is considerably less complicated. Your dog wants something and you're the person with the ability to make it happen.

They might want their dinner, the back door opening, a walk, their favourite toy retrieving from underneath the sofa or a piece of whatever you're eating.

Dogs can also use gaze as part of their communication with us, particularly when something they want is inaccessible. That familiar sequence of looking at you, looking at the biscuit cupboard and then looking back at you isn't necessarily accidental. Your dog may be making their point perfectly well.

3. They've Learnt That Staring Works

This one is largely our own doing.

If your dog stares at you and eventually gets what they want, they learn that staring is worth trying again. It doesn't have to work every time either. In fact, if it only works occasionally, that can make a behaviour surprisingly persistent because there's always a chance that today will be the day you give in.

Think about eating toast at the kitchen table. Your dog looks at you. You ignore them. They continue looking. Five minutes later you hand over a tiny corner because you can't take it any longer. From your point of view you've shared a bit of toast. From your dog's point of view they've just discovered that staring at a human for five minutes produces toast.

4. They're Trying to Tell You Something

Dogs don't have words, but that doesn't mean they aren't communicating with us throughout the day. They use movement, posture, facial expressions, sounds and gaze, and often several of those things together.

Researchers looking at dog-to-human communication have found that dogs can look between a person and something they want, particularly when they're unable to get it themselves.

Most dog owners will recognise this immediately. A stare at around dinner time is usually fairly easy to decode. A stare while standing beside the back door gives you another clue. A stare followed by repeated glances underneath the sofa generally means you're about to get down on your hands and knees and recover a tennis ball.

They're giving you information. We aren't always quite as quick at understanding it as they would like.

5. They're Waiting for You to Tell Them What's Next

Dogs that have done training with their owners may spend even more time watching them. They're used to looking towards a person for information and waiting for a cue before doing something.

This can happen in everyday situations too. Some dogs regularly check in with their owner while walking, before crossing a road or when something changes around them.

So when your dog looks at you expectantly, they may simply be asking, in their own way, what we're doing next.

6. You're Eating

This really deserves a section of its own because food changes everything.

Try eating a chicken sandwich in front of a dog and you can go from being a largely uninteresting member of the household to the most important person in Britain in a matter of seconds. Every bite is monitored, every movement of the plate is noted and anything that falls onto the floor will be dealt with considerably faster than you could ever manage yourself.

If your dog has received food from your plate in the past, they're likely to remember that. Staring becomes part of a routine because, at some point, it has worked.

If you'd rather eat without an audience, consistency helps. It's much harder for a dog to understand that staring doesn't work if somebody around the table occasionally whispers, “Go on then, just a little bit.”

7. They Simply Like Looking at You

There is some genuinely interesting research around dogs, humans and eye contact.

Studies have suggested that mutual gaze can play a part in the social bond between dogs and the people they live with. One widely discussed study found an association between mutual gaze and changes in oxytocin levels in both dogs and their owners.

That doesn't mean every time your dog looks at you they're declaring undying love, and we should be careful about putting human emotions onto every bit of dog behaviour. But relaxed, voluntary eye contact between a dog and somebody they trust can certainly be part of a positive social interaction.

Sometimes your dog may simply be lying across the room, feeling comfortable and keeping an eye on someone who's important to them. We think that's a rather nice reason to be stared at.

8. They're Not Sure About Something

This is where looking at the whole dog becomes important.

A dog quietly watching you while lying comfortably on the sofa is very different from a dog staring while their body is tense or they're trying to move away from something.

Dogs may look towards us when they're uncertain, particularly when something has changed around them or they're trying to work out what to do. If your dog suddenly starts watching you closely in a situation where they normally wouldn't, have a look at what's happening around them rather than concentrating only on their eyes.

The position of their body, ears and tail, how they're holding their mouth and whether they're moving towards or away from something can all give you much more information about how they're feeling.

9. They're Asking for Space

Not every stare is friendly, and this is an important distinction.

A relaxed look from your own dog isn't the same as a hard, fixed stare from a dog whose body has become stiff or tense. Dogs have a number of ways of telling us they're uncomfortable and a fixed stare can form part of that wider body language.

If a dog looks tense or worried, don't deliberately stare back, move towards them or try to establish who's “in charge”. Give them some space and allow them to move away.

Likewise, if your own dog's behaviour changes suddenly or they begin behaving in a way that's unusual for them, it's worth paying attention. Behaviour changes can sometimes have an underlying physical cause, so speaking to your vet is a sensible first step if you're concerned.

Why Does My Dog Stare at Me While I'm Eating?

Usually because you've got something they would quite like.

There may also be a long and distinguished family history behind the behaviour. If anyone in the house regularly shares food from their plate, your dog has learnt that watching people eat can occasionally produce results.

Before blaming the dog, it may therefore be worth investigating the humans.

Why Does My Dog Stare at Me From Across the Room?

Again, context is everything. If your dog is relaxed and settled, they may simply be watching what's happening or checking where you are.

If they're standing somewhere significant while staring at you, the mystery may be easier to solve. The back door, food cupboard, empty water bowl or shelf where the leads are kept can provide some fairly substantial clues.

Why Does My Dog Stare at Me and Whine?

Staring combined with whining can mean your dog is trying harder to get your attention. Check the obvious things first. Do they need to go outside? Is it near their normal mealtime? Is something they want out of reach?

What we wouldn't do is automatically dismiss persistent whining as attention-seeking, particularly if it's new behaviour. If something has changed and you can't see an obvious reason for it, speak to your vet.

Why Does My Dog Stare at Me When I Go to the Toilet?

We can explain a lot of dog behaviour, but some things simply come with living with a dog.

Your dog spends a large part of their life with you and following you around gives them information about what you're doing and what's happening next. Unfortunately, many dogs don't appear to recognise the bathroom as an exception to this arrangement.

After years of running dog stores, meeting thousands of dogs and living with them ourselves, we'd probably turn the question around: why did any of us ever think closing the bathroom door was going to work?

Should You Stare Back at Your Dog?

Relaxed eye contact with your own dog during a normal, positive interaction is one thing. Deliberately fixing an unfamiliar or uncomfortable dog with a prolonged stare is quite another.

Watch what the dog is telling you. If they're relaxed and choosing to interact, that's very different from a dog who becomes stiff, turns away, backs off or shows other signs that they're uncomfortable.

Dogs shouldn't have to shout before we listen to them.

So Why Does My Dog Keep Staring at Me?

The truth is that there isn't one answer, and that's probably what makes living with dogs so interesting. Your dog may be asking for something, watching your movements, waiting for information, checking in with you or simply enjoying being around you.

The eyes alone won't tell you everything. Look at what's happening around your dog and at the rest of their body language, and you'll usually get a much better idea of what they're trying to say.

And if you're still completely baffled, check the time.

It might just be dinner.

Wellness Begins in the Bowl.