You have probably already been surprised to find that your dog looks at you out of the corner of his eye or directly when he is relieving himself. While many people may feel uncomfortable right now, it's a natural behavior of our furry ones that doesn't mean anything bad. Although this behavior can also be reinforced if we reinforce it mainly during childhood, when we teach them to urinate and defecate in the street, with the use of rewards and verbal reinforcements.
Maybe you've come this far wondering Why does my dog look at me when he poops? You've come to the right place, in this article of our site we will solve your doubts and we will explain to you why this behavior happens, this way you will be able to better understand your dog. Keep reading!
Why does he look at me when my dog poops?
Our dogs retain certain instinctive behaviors and behaviors inherent to their espie. In a wild habitat, the moment of pooping is very delicate for animals, as this means being more vulnerable to numerous environmental risks, such as attacks by predators. In order to defecate or urinate, the dog must acquire a specific position with his body and exert a certain degree of effort, which means that his senses may not be as alert to his surroundings as usual.
At this specific moment, a "sneak attack" could be fatal, since the dog will be busy relieving himself and will maintain an unfavorable posture to defend himself or escape in time, thus avoiding a unfavorable confrontation. For this reason, animals tend to seek reserved and slightly exposed places to leave their droppings there.
This behavior is more frequent in fearful or insecure dogs, since more confident and self-assured dogs will use feces as another way of markingand they won't hide to relieve themselves.
Although our garden or our neighborhood park do not closely resemble a wild environment, our furry ones will also feel more vulnerable when defecating. Therefore, it is very likely that they will look at you as a "guarantee" that the environment where they are is safe. That is to say: if your dog looks at you out of the corner of his eye or stares at you when he poops (or before he starts to defecate), it is because your presence helps him feel more protectedand less vulnerable to possible threats from the external environment. Knowing that you are there to monitor the environment and provide security, your furry can relieve himself with peace of mind.
Many people believe that dogs are embarrassed to defecate in our presence and, therefore, they believe that looking at them at this time is uncomfortable. But this statement is not true. The feeling of shame and the conception that physiological needs are something private are concepts created by human beings. When a dog maintains a he althy bond with his guardian, based on trust and affection, he does not have to feel intimidated or embarrassedfor doing the business of him in front of or near him. So, you don't need to feel embarrassed if your dog looks at you when he poops, as this is a sign that your presence makes him feel safe. Therefore, you do not need to look away…
Positive reinforcement can explain why your dog looks at you when he poops
When we adopt a puppy, one of the fundamental lessons is to teach them to relieve themselves on the street or in a certain place. Of course, it is worth remembering that it is also possible to bring this education to adult dogs, always with patience and the use of positive reinforcement
During this process, many tutors use treats or dry feed croquettes as a reward to reinforce their positive behavior of urinating or defecating in the street (or in the right place), and stimulate the continuity of their learning. The little "problem" is that some dogs pick up this "exchange" as a habit and carry it into adulthood. Then, it may happen that they watch their guardians while they relieve themselves because they hope to earn their delicious reward or congratulations.
We must vary the elements that we apply as positive reinforcement in the education of our dogs. Instead of using only food as a reward, we can also offer them toys, walks, moments of leisure and entertainment or give them all our love and our time to encourage their cognitive, emotional and social abilities.
Why does my dog always look me in the eye?
As we often mention in our articles, dogs predominantly use a non-verbal language to communicate with us, with their peers and with others animals. Your whole body transmits valuable information about your mood, your emotions and your way of understanding the world around you. And his look is a fundamental part of his body language, since it tells us a lot about his personality and the sensations he experiences at every moment.
To communicate with our dogs and establish a positive relationship, we must know how to interpret not only the dog's body language, but also his facial expressions and looks. For this reason, it is very positive that tutors ask themselves questions and seek to know what they mean the different ways their furry look and the emotions they seek to convey with each look.
Unfortunately, we can find a lot of misinformation in some of the many materials available online. For example: if you stare at your furry, you will not be giving him a canine hug (as you can see in some places), but this direct and fixed gaze can be perceived as a state of alert. And this does not generate a positive feeling in our best friends, but rather makes them distrust towards us (if our bond is not positive), towards other dogs or towards the environment in general.
Why is my dog looking at me out of the corner of his eye?
With some frequency, guardians ask themselves the question "why does my dog look at me out of the corner of his eye" and want to know if this would also be a sign of mistrust. But, beyond just perceiving the way our dogs look, we must learn to jointly analyze their gaze with the other "messages" transmitted by their body.
If your furry looks at you sideways and shows other signs of calm, such as yawning or putting his ears back, it usually means that he doesn't understand what you're asking him (when you talk to him or try to teach him some new command, for example), and this situation can generate some discomfort for not knowing exactly how to act.
And why does my dog look at me when I sleep?
Have you woken up and there was your dog, right next to your bed staring at you? Well, another very frequent doubt in tutors is why their furry ones look at them while they sleep. In principle, this is a relatively common behavior among domestic dogs Its explanation is somewhat similar to the question of looking at us when they are about to defecate.
In their wild habitat, sleeping time is also especially delicate for the herd. For this reason, the most common is that some member remains awake to protect the territory and preserve the well-being of all. While you sleep, your dog can stay in wake state at your bedside to monitor your surroundings and ensure you can enjoy excellent quality sleep, in total security.
There is also a widespread belief that some dogs stay awake next to their relatives to protect them against apnea or other respiratory problems during sleep. It is even common to hear the story of a furry man who would have saved the life of her tutor by waking her up with her barking when she had stopped breathing due to apnea.
The truth is that there are still not enough scientific studies to confirm or deny the brilliant behavior of our dogs. But the truth is that our best friends love us and are always willing to see us safe and happy.
