Not looking straight into a dogs eyes

Not looking straight into a dogs eyes: Dogs feel threatened when other dogs look at them directly into their eyes and they very quickly learn to take evasive action when it happens. Dogs avoid eye contact with other dogs because they want to avoid getting into a fight, which is what this type of behavior usually leads to. Human beings love to look into their pets eyes lovingly, and because of this, we need to out pets that when we look into their eyes it does not mean we want to hurt them. Most dogs don't learn this and they will show different signs to let us know they do not feel comfortable about being looked at that way; usually the owner is completely unaware of this.

A worried dog: A dog that is uncomfortable about being stared at will turn around to let their owner know he does not like it. If the dog's mouth is openand he is panting it means he is feeling stressed and usually his ears will be flat on the sides of his head. Leaning over to try to get the dogs attention will just make maters worse.

Relaxed dogs: A dog knows a person really well and feels comfortable with them, enjoys being around them and has no problem looking into their owner's eyes. Dogs that do not feel completely sure about their owners or other people will often times give the person their behind to pet, instead of the front of their bodies.

Dog stare down: Some dogs will look into their rival's eyes for a long time. This only happens though when two dogs have the same amount of self confidence in themselves. They keep their eyes fixed on each other because they are trying to get the other to look away. The first dog to look away will lose and next time they encounter each other, they will both know who the strongest dog is.
