What’s the Deal with Dogs Not Making Eye Contact?

When dogs avoid eye contact, it’s an expression that reveals that they are shy, uncertain, or a bit distrustful. In such moments, if you meet their gaze, they might look away by turning their head to the side or lowering it.

Lots of dog owners are curious about why their pups avoid eye contact. While we humans see looking someone in the eye as a way to show trust or connection, dogs might skip it for different reasons, like their instincts, social signals, or just their unique personalities.

For dogs, sustained eye contact can sometimes come off as a threat or challenge. Lots of dogs naturally look away to show that they’re not trying to start anything. How dogs react to eye contact depends on their past experiences, how well they’ve been socialized, and what breed they are.

So, let me break it down for you so you can better figure out what your dog is trying to say the next time you notice its behavior.

Why Do Dogs Avoid Eye Contact?

Dogs avoid eye contact when they feel stressed, anxious, submissive, or threatened. This behavior goes back to their evolutionary roots since direct eye contact can be perceived as a threat or challenge among canines.

Natural submissiveness plays a significant role in this behavior. When a dog looks away from you, it can also mean they respect you and recognize your role as the pack leader. This isn’t always about being scared; it’s more about a social skill they’ve developed over many years of evolution.

A dog’s past experiences and the way they’ve been socialized can affect how comfortable they are with making eye contact. If a dog didn’t get enough socialization when they were growing up, they might feel a bit awkward about looking directly at people. Conversely, dogs that have gone through tough times might link eye contact to some negative experiences.

What to Do When Your Dog Doesn’t Make Eye Contact?

If your dog seems a bit nervous or anxious when avoiding eye contact, give them some space or they probably need some time to chill. Don’t walk straight up to them or make direct eye contact, just let them have that moment to calm down.

Make sure your dog has a safe and comfy space—super important for their happiness. Give them a cozy bed to sleep in, easy access to food and water, and a quiet place like a crate where they can chill out when they need some alone time.

If your dog’s behavior continues or worsens, don’t wait a sec, consult a professional like a dog trainer or a behavior expert. They can help figure out what’s going on and give you some tips to handle your dog’s behavior.

Getting your dog to pay attention to you with some positive reinforcement can make a difference. The next section goes into how to make that happen…

How to Make a Dog Not to Avoid Eye Contact

The best approach is to positively reinforce the behavior by using cue words like “look” or “watch me” and rewarding them with treats or praise whenever they turn to look at your face.

Your dog might take a little time to start making eye contact, so make sure to reward any attempt it makes to look at you. Begin in a quiet spot with minimal distractions to keep your dog focused. You can use a clicker to catch the exact moment your dog gazes your way.

Once your dog is consistently making brief eye contact, slowly increase your expectations to get them to hold their gaze a bit longer before you give a treat.

Telling Apart Various Dog Eye Expressions

Dogs do a lot more than just avoiding eye contact. They have a bunch of other eye expressions that are also crucial to know if you want to really understand your pup. Here’s a rundown of some of them and what they mean:

• Puppy dog eyes: Dogs make their eyes look bigger by raising their eyebrows. They do so when they seek attention from others.
• Soft eyes: When pups give soft eyes with relaxed eyelids and sometimes squinting, it’s a clear sign your dog is comfortable in their environment and content.
• Hard eyes: When they are on high alert and may feel aggressive or guarding something, they give hard eyes by wide opening their eyes.
• Dog side eye: Dogs give side eye by looking sideways while keeping their heads still which signals different emotions including stress, discomfort, or playfulness.

Dogs have a bunch of different eye expressions beyond these usual ones. I figured these would help you understand what your pup is trying to say when you catch him showing off different looks, so I thought I’d share!

Dog Breeds that Avoid Eye Contact Most Often

Research shows that dog breeds like Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, and other old-school working dogs usually shy away from making eye contact. This might be because they’ve got some wolf in them, and they see prolonged eye contact as a challenge or a threat in their pack.

Asian breeds like the Shiba Inu and Chow Chow are known to be pretty independent and might not care for prolonged eye contact. Also, a lot of herding breeds tend to shy away from looking directly at you since they’ve been raised to focus more on their flock than on our faces.

Deepen Your Bond Through Eye Contact

Eye contact is a powerful communication tool between dogs and their parents that releases oxytocin, creating an emotional connection. Here are some how to’s for eye-to-eye connection:

• Practice soft, gentle eye contact
• Avoid prolonged staring (or they may perceive it as threatening)
• When training, make brief eye contact to keep attention and encourage good actions.

When your dog makes voluntary eye contact, reward it with its fav treat! This approach can help build trust and create a deeper, more intuitive understanding between you and your canine companion.

Wrapping Things Up

Getting a handle on how dogs use eye contact is really important because it’s a key way they communicate. Each dog has its own style when it comes to making eye contact, which depends on their breed, personality, past experiences, and how they’ve been socialized.

If you pay attention to what your dog is trying to tell you, use positive reinforcement, and keep their comfort in mind, you can really improve how you communicate with them and build a stronger bond.