Why does my dog look up at me when walking?

If your dog looks up at you, when walking, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do about them.

So, why does my dog look up at me when walking? Possible reasons why your dog looks up at you when walking are that it wants to see what you are doing, it is looking for direction from you, it wants something from you, or something such as you pulling up on the leash.

There are a number of possible reasons why your dog has been doing it. 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.

Reasons why your dog looks up at you when walking

Below are a number of possible reasons why your dog has been doing it and what would make each of them more likely.

It wants to see what you are doing

The reason why it does it might be that it wants to see what you are doing. This would be more likely if it looks up at you when you are talking or doing something such as putting gloves on.

It is looking for direction

Another possible cause is that it is waiting to see what you will tell it to do. This would be more likely if it does it when you are likely to be about to tell it to do something such as stop at a crossing or to start walking again when stopped.

It wants something from you

Another cause could be that it wants something from you. This would be more likely if it tends to look up at you at around the same time that you would normally give it something such as a treat.

Pulling on the leash too hard

Another possible cause could be that you have been pulling on the leash too hard or it’s collar is too high up. This would be more likely if your dog tends to look up at you when the leash is tight and it does not look up when it is loose.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main cause.

What is different when your dog looks up at you

It would help to consider the timing of when it looks up at you since the timing could have something to do with it. If it does it more at random times, it would be more likely that it does it due to wanting to see what you will tell it to do or wanting something from you. Whereas, if it does it when the leash is tight, it might be because it’s being forced to look up at you due to the tightness.

Other body language signs it shows

It would also help to consider the body language it shows when it looks up at you. If it shows signs of being excited, such as wagging its tail, it would be more likely that it does it due to things such as wanting a treat from you. Whereas, if it seems to be stiff, it would be more likely that it is because the leash is too tight or hurting it.

What to do about your dog looking up at you when walking

Below are some things you can do about the behavior.

Let it continue

If it seems like your dog has been doing it to see what you are doing or because it is looking for direction, it would likely be a good thing that it looks up at you. In this case, it would likely be best to let it continue.

Give it training

It could also help to give it training so that it knows what you want it to do in situations where it would normally look up at you.

Avoid pulling it too hard with the leash

It might be the case that you have been pulling too hard on the leash. It would help to give it some slack while it is walking beside you so that it does not get pulled up towards you.