Why does my dog just sit and stare at me?

If your dog sits and stares at you a lot, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you common reasons why dogs do it and what you can do about them.

So, why does my dog sit and stare at me? A likely reason why your dog sits and stares at you is that it is waiting for something such as exercise or food. It could also be the case that it has learned that it gets rewards when it does it.

There are actually a number of reasons why your dog might be doing it and it could be due to a combination of them. However, there are a number of things you can consider when figuring out the main reason and there are a number of things you can do about it.

Why your dog sits and stares at you

Below are a number of reasons why your dog might sit and stare at you and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.

It’s waiting for something

The reason why it does it could be that it is waiting to get something from you. This would be more likely if it tends to do it at around the same time that you would normally feed it or give it exercise. To prevent this is would help to try to feed it and give it exercise at around the same time everyday so that it knows what time it should expect them.

It’s bored

The cause might also be that it is bored. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more when you have not been giving it much attention in a while. In this case, it might help to quickly let it go outside and to quickly give it some exercise.

It wants something from you

It could also be the case that it does it because it wants something from you. This would be more likely if it does it when you are eating and if you occasionally give it some of your food. In this case, it would help to avoid giving it your food and you could try feeding it its own food at around the same time that you normally eat.

Encouraging the behavior

It could also be the case that it has learned that it gets things that it wants if it stares at you. If you tend to give it things such as toys, treats or extra attention, when it stares at you, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Separation anxiety

It could also be the case that it does it because it has some separation anxiety and it wants to know when you leave. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more at around the same time that you normally leave home and if it starts to become anxious when you are leaving.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider when figuring out the most likely reason why it does it.

What else happened when your dog started sitting and staring at you

If it did not always sit and stare at you, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it since it might be the case that there was an event that caused it to start. For example, if it started doing it more since you started feeding it at different times, it would be more likely that it has been doing it because it does not know when it will get food.

What is different when it does it

It would also help to consider what is different when it sits and stares at you. For example, if it does it mostly when you are eating, it would be very likely that it is doing it because it wants your food.

What to do about your dog sitting and staring at you

Below are some options you have when getting your dog to stop doing it.

Avoid encouraging the behavior

As mentioned above, it could be the case that it has been doing it because it has learned that it gets rewards when it does it. Instead, it would help to reward it when it is behaving the way you want it to, to give it positive reinforcement training and to avoid rewarding it when it behaves in an undesirable way.

Give it a routine to get used to

It would also help to give it things such as food and exercise at around the same time everyday so that it knows when it should expect things such as food and exercise.

Reduce its anxiety

If it seems like it might be doing it due to having some separation anxiety, it would help to take measures to reduce how anxious it becomes. Ways to do so could include, feeding it, giving it exercise and letting it pee before leaving so that it can sleep more easily when you’re gone.