If you hope your dog stares at you because they love you, think again, says expert

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By Chaitra Krishnamurthy

20 May 2024

Catching your pet dog stare at you is one of the cutest moments, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. A dog psychology and behavior expert explains why dogs stare at us.

Having a dog as a pet is a huge responsibility. Other than feeding them the right diet and making sure they are calm with the right number of toys, you must also pay attention to your body language around them.

Why does your dog stare at you?

In one of his TikTok videos, dog psychology and behavior expert, Steve Del Savio, explains why your dog looks at you intently most of the time.

He says dogs stare at their owners to understand their body language while feeling their energy. They try to understand your mood and what you’re saying to them by observing your movements.

Steve claims dogs don’t understand human languages and studies show that they only understand 165 words.

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So, when your pooch looks at you, it’s trying to decipher what you’re doing and how you’re feeling, which cannot be conveyed to them through words alone.

Steve advises dog parents to be conscious of their body language and energy around their dogs because they react to your energy more than verbal language.

@packleaderdogs

Have you ever noticed your dog staring at you? I’ve actually gotten quite a few messages as to why a dog may be staring at their owner throughout the course of a day. Dogs have an incredible ability to adapt to many different situations, probably why they ended up in our homes with us. They are masters at feeling energy and studying body language. They learn quickly how a human moves, what their energy is, and what behaviors are associated with it. For example, when you put on different clothes, a specific pair of shoes, or reach for the leash, they learn quickly, which means they are going for a walk. That’s the obvious stuff. What may not be as obvious is when they study your body language and feel your energy if you are in an anxious, fearful, or angry state as well. Those energies and the body languages associated with them will never allow them to trust you as a leader/parent-figure. They also study how you respond when they put pressure on you. The dog who comes over and demands attention/affection and the human gives it. In this case, they study the softer, passive energy and how you allow them to control you. Another scenario is the dog who invades their human space, jumping on them, and climbing on top of them while they are on the couch. Again, they study softer/weaker energy that doesn’t have enough respect for its space that the dog can take as it pleases. Both these scenarios will not allow the dog to feel protected by their human because they studied and learned how the human is easily controlled and doesn’t have respect for their own space. This may seem like a lot, but dogs live 100% in the moment and are 100% honest. We bring them into our home, and they have nothing else to do but figure out the humans they live with. Many may see this as a lot to deal with, but to me, I’m so grateful to have 100% honest and 100% in the moment animals who keep me accountable to living in a healthy energy based on the nature code. Be aware of your energy and your actions. Your dogs and nature are watching you!👀

♬ original sound – Pack Leader Dogs

Your anxiety can trigger your dog

Yes, how you feel around your dog significantly impacts their behavior, and this is the reason they become anxious around other dogs.

Steve explains that your dog senses when you become anxious or nervous upon seeing other dogs while worrying about their reaction. This prompts your pooch to become defensive as they think you’re in danger.

“As you can see your own energy can be contributing to your dog’s reactivity because a lot of times humans are living in the past,” he says. When you start worrying about your dog’s reaction to other dogs, they immediately sense the tension.

So rather than becoming anxious about their reaction, the dog psychology expert suggests taking the lead on the walk and being more confident in the presence of other dogs to reduce your pet’s reactivity.

Steve Del Savio is a dog psychology and behavior expert with over 15 years of experience. He is the Owner & Founder of Pack Leader Dogs, who has turned his passion for animals and their behavior into a flourishing career in dog training, according to the official website.