During a recent visit to a friend’s house she exclaimed, “Why does my dog always stare at me!” That got me thinking about a day in the life of a dog.
Did you ever stop to think about how many things you do in a single day? Most of us have multiple responsibilities and obligations to fulfill on a daily basis, and during our down time we find plenty to do too. There are countless ways in which we occupy our minds and bodies in order to prevent boredom. Why, right now you’re occupying your mind by reading this article!
But, how does a dog occupy himself on a daily basis? Well, let’s see, your dog needs to eat, oh but wait, he can’t until you fill his bowl for him. Hmm…well, he needs to go outside, but again, he needs you to open the door for him. How about playtime? Again, he needs you to throw the ball, or tug on his favorite toy. A walk? Hmmm… you seem to be in high demand as far as your dog is concerned. With this in mind you can see why your dog may keep constant watch on your every move.
Would your dog want to lie idly by while you put out his meal? Would he want to miss a cue from you that may represent his daily walk is coming up? And, oh my, certainly he wouldn’t want to miss out on a begging session should you decide to prepare yourself something to eat! No way.
Watch and Learn, A Dog and a Cue
Dogs are incredibly good detectives, and they learn our body language to decipher what will come next in their day. For example, when you walk toward the coat closet to grab your jacket and shoes your dog may come to understand that this represents walk time. Dogs are so astoundingly good at reading our subtle cues that occasionally you may wonder if your dog is reading your mind.
Although maybe it would be fun to imagine that your dog is a mind reader, I can assure you that he is not! In my household there’s barely a thing I can get away with without my dog knowing what comes next…without my dog around I would have never realized just how predictable I am!
For example, I can walk all over the house and my dog will remain calm, but as soon as I walk toward my house slippers he suddenly jumps up and runs to the back door as he knows it is time to be let outside. I swear he keeps tabs on my slippers because sometimes they are out of his view but he still knows when I’m headed for them. I really should pay more attention because at this point I’m not real clear as to which cue he picks up on. Perhaps it’s the way my walk slows down before I slip my foot into that first slipper. Or, maybe it’s the way my eyes look down toward the floor before putting them on. Whatever the cue is, my dog is on to me.
Your Dog Wants Attention
Another reason your dog may stare at you is to lure you into giving him some much needed attention (or at least your dog thinks it’s much needed). My dog often stares at us if we sit down to watch TV. I mean what are we thinking?! Clearly our hands are free which means a perfectly opportune time for ear scratching and belly rubbing! So he sits and stares. And, yes, we always give in.
Dogs love attention and affection from their owners. Can you blame them? It’s one of the many traits that make dogs so amazing to have around; they love us for who we are and will do just about anything to be with us.
But, they could be staring for other types of attention too. Perhaps for a treat, to play, or to go outside for a walk. Some dogs will stare when awaiting a command to reinforce that it is okay to do something, such as enter a particular room, or jump up on a piece of furniture. This is a good thing, and you can give yourself a pat on the back as it means you’ve done well with obedience training!
Your Dog Is Curious
What comes to mind when I think of a curious animal is the old expression, “curiosity killed the cat”. But, dogs are curious creatures too, and if you are doing something uniquely different than what your dog is accustomed to then your dog is bound to stare. When my foster dog came to join our household my dog would stare intently every time we gave him eye drops (which he needs for medical reasons). Our foster dog tends to make a little growly noise which caused intense curiosity.
But, the smallest things can trigger a stare from your dog. Perhaps you are moving a piece of furniture, blowing up a balloon, making an unusual noise, or singing. To you these may be simple everyday things, but your dog will need to stare awhile to decide what he thinks about it.
Your Dog Is Anticipating Something
It’s 5:00 and time for your dog’s daily walk. You grab the leash from its hook and then…darn, the phone rings. You get caught up in conversation and time is running late. What do you think your dog will do during this time? Most likely…stare. He is anticipating what he knows should be coming next.
As I mentioned earlier, dogs are incredibly good at reading cues. You may make a subtle move, but that’s all it takes and your dog is already in the know of what is going to occur. Now he’s watching, and anticipating, that very thing and will keep staring until it happens, or he decides that the moment has passed.
Every morning my dog stares at me just waiting for that moment when I’ll grab his food dish and fill it up. How can I blame him? He’s not being rude, he’s just hungry!
Hi Carol
When l first got my dog a Doberman called Anna, dogs were new to me and l did not know a single thing about them.
With Anna l learned a lot, when she needed attention, when she expected something, when she wanted to go for a walk or when she felt lonely/ignored.
One thing l never understood is why dogs sometimes wreck the house when left alone.
l like your explanations, all written in an easy to understand way and very enjoyable to read.
Oh, what a wonderful breed Dobermans are! It’s fascinating how well dogs can communicate their needs to us, isn’t it? This might give you some insight into dogs and destructive chewing…¦ http://doggiedemeanor.com/how-to-stop-a-dog-from-chewing-furniture
My dog is always staring at me. It’s so funny sometimes. There is a big mirror on the wall and some other mirrors throughout my bedroom, and no matter where I am or what I’m doing, she’s looking at me through one of the mirrors. Sometimes the reflection is bouncing off a few different mirrors and I’ll see her staring at me in it. It makes me laugh.
But it’s sad because she probably wants attention while I have to sit at my desk and work all day… 🙁
Aw, I see you have fallen prey those staring puppy eyes, lol. Dogs are so great at adapting to our schedules though and if you are home working all day your dog has got it made! I’m sure she is content just to be near you. 🙂
Hi carol ,
I take my dog literally everywhere I go , I own a landscape and plowing company , he is so darn cute , he will stare at me while I plow , his head is on top of the middle counsel using it as leverage to stare at me , it feels as if he knows I am his father and he is looking up to me for his life , shiba inu – his name is Buddy 🙂 I have never added a comment on Pinterest before but my instinct told me to do so, I have a product I am working on for dogs I would love to talk to you about it !
Buddy is a lucky dog…I’m sure he loves nothing better than going to work with his owner! What dog wouldn’t? 🙂 Please drop me a line at our email address (support@doggiedemeanor.com) to let me know about your product. Thanks!
Hi Carol! Great insight into our best friends world. For a long while, I thought my dogs could differentiate weekdays from weekends. I used to work in a very casual office job. Jeans and such were the norm, so not much difference in my wardrobe weekday to weekend. Yet on a work day, the dogs never raised their heads as I got ready to leave for work, yet on the weekends they were rambunctious and ready to go when I approached the door. The difference? It took me a while but I finally figured it out: The type of shoes I wore. Loafers, oxfords and boots for work; sneakers for around home.
Oh, I love hearing stories like this. So smart, and observant, aren’t they? Good detective work on your end too!
My dog totally knows my shoes too – she knows from something when she is going to come along and when she isn’t.
Hi carol, every night at 630 we give our 3 dogs a biscuit, if we forgot, they will stare at us until we give it to them, it’s so funny, after they get it, they relax till bedtime.
Ah, same here! Our dog gets one every day mid morning, and there is no forgetting or he will certainly let us know! He also badgers us if we hold off on giving him breakfast in the morning. But, as soon as we start the preparations he settles down nicely to wait until it’s ready.
Hi Carol, can you help me? Just recently, the last 3 weeks, my dog won’t come inside the house at night. He sits outside and barks at the snow, deer, moon, I’m not sure what it is…. sometimes he’s sees me coming out of the house and runs and hides. Other times he just sits there and I walk up and put the leash on him, while I’m talking to him in a curious voice, saying things like, “what are you doing out here?” He walks with me until we get to the porch where he tries to lay down…..I can now keep talking to him and he comes up on the porch now, but I’m worried about him. He is 12 now and has never done anything like this-any advice?????
Thx!
After reading your comment I had a zillion questions running through my head. It’s always difficult to say what could be going on without being there to get the full picture. Please also understand that I am not an animal behaviorist, but I’d be happy to give you a few of my initial thoughts on this. My first thought was, perhaps a new pack of coyotes (or other animal) has piqued his interest, making him feel territorial, and/or stressing him out? Excessive barking, whether inside or outside can be a sign of stress. Elderly dogs can also have a more difficult time dealing with stress, where things that were no big deal before can all of a sudden become a big deal. Is there something inside the house that he finds stressful? Maybe even the fact that he knows you will be going to bed and he will be left with the anxiety of being alone?
Is he having vision or hearing loss? Is it possible he doesn’t recognize you or your voice until you are closer to him?
Dogs are also awesome at sensing whatever we are feeling. So if you are feeling emotional or panicked about his changes and whether he will want to come into the house he may be sensing your anxiety and feeling reluctant to come in based on how you’re feeling. It’s not uncommon for us to give off vibes that translate directly to our dogs.
I think I would first try acting like this new and unusual behavior is no big deal, but also try to give him something awesome to look forward to once he does come into the house. Maybe a favorite treat and tons of cuddle time with you. Make sure he has a comfy bed and there is nothing that could be stressing him out indoors. These are things worth trying. Otherwise, maybe see the vet to get some suggestions and rule out anything medical that could be going on. Best of luck, and I hope things improve!
Good article! I have always wondered why my dog stares at me from time to time. He also likes to follow me around all day! Drives me crazy sometimes! Love him!
Thanks Paula! Yes, my dog too…doesn’t like us to be out of his sight!
My two dogs seem to have me well trained. It seemed strange that they have to go “out” so often. Then I realized it was because they get a treat if they go outside. They try to trick me.
Biggest problem is they won’t stay outside. They will bark or jump on the door to come in. If I say, “no bark ” – they will quietly whine.
Lol, dogs are so food driven…they have definitely gotten the pattern down as to how to get a treat! 🙂
I found your article very cute. I also love how you chose those dog pictures. They always make me laugh when I see them.
Also, I always thought it would be hard to be a dog for a day.
Researchers say that dogs can see only black and white colours and I think its strange.
Thank you for your comment Vali, I’m glad you enjoyed the article. I just wanted to add that, contrary to popular belief, dogs see much more than black and white, it’s just that they don’t see as many colors as we do. They see most of the world as either blue, yellow or grey. 🙂