Dogs use their eyes, ears, tails, and posture to send a variety of messages. Dog staring is a body language that can indicate affection, stress, or health issues. Four reasons may explain this action.
1. Love Language
Experts believe that eye contact activates hormones that establish and strengthen social bonding and interaction, whether it is among humans or between dogs and humans.
Dogs are better able to anticipate your intentions, focus on your commands, and read your moods when the bond between you is strong.
2. Fear or Stress
The first step is to assess the type of dog staring by paying close attention to the white part of the eye and intensity level of the gaze.
A glassy look with dilated pupils can be a sign of fear or stress, while a hard stare with steely eyes is often an indication of threat.
3. Request or Response
Another possible reason for dog staring is because he needs to go outside for a potty break, or something that you did was interesting or unusual enough to catch his attention.
4. Health Concerns
If your senior dog spends extended periods of time staring at nothing in particular or at walls, this could be a symptom of dementia or senility called canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD).
Make an appointment with the vet if your senior dog becomes unresponsive to his name or basic commands, starts getting lost or wandering aimlessly around the house, or spaces out more frequently.
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