Why does my dog look up at me?

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

So, why does my dog look up at me? Possible reasons why your dog looks up at you are wanting something from you, trying to see what you are doing, looking for direction, or having learned that the behavior is rewarded.

Your dog might actually be doing it for a number of different reasons and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main causes and there are many things you can do about them.

Reasons why your dog looks up at you

Below are a number of possible reasons why your dog might have been doing it and what would make each of them more likely to be the main reason.

It wants something from you

The cause could be that it wants something from you. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more at a certain time such as when you would normally feed it, give it exercise or while you are eating.

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 more at a time when you would normally tell it to do something such as when outside if you normally tell it what to do when outside.

It wants to see what you are doing

Another possible reason is that it wants to see what you are doing. This would be more likely if it does it more when you are moving somewhere else. It might want to see what you are doing because it wants food, water, exercise or because it wants to be where you are.

You’re acting unusually

Another possible cause might also be that it thinks you are behaving unusually. This would be more likely if it does it more when you are doing something you don’t normally do such as when singing or talking on the phone.

Separation anxiety

Another possible cause could be that it has some separation anxiety. This would be more likely if it tends to look at you when you are leaving or when you would normally leave. It would also be more likely if it also shows signs of being anxious when doing it such as pacing or whining.

Encouraging it

Another possible cause is that it has learned that the behavior is rewarded. If you tend to give your dog things such as toys, treats and other rewards, when it does it, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your dog has been doing it.

What is different when your dog looks up at you

If your dog does not always look up at you, it would help to consider what is different about the timing. For example, if it does it more when you are leaving home, it would be more likely to be due to separation anxiety. Whereas, if it does it more when it has not been fed yet, it’s probably waiting to be fed.

What other body language signs it shows

It would also help to consider what other body language signs it shows when it does it. If it shows signs of being excited such as by wagging its tail, it would be more likely that it thinks you might be about to do something such as exercise it, play with it or feed it.

What to do about your dog looking up at you a lot

Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.

Allow it to continue

Training it to stop looking at you would likely be difficult to do. If it has not been doing it excessively, the easiest option would be to allow it to continue doing it.

Be calm with it

The reason why your dog has been doing it could be that it gets intimidated by your behavior. Instead, it would help to be calm with it and to get it to behavior the way you want it to with the use of training.

Give it a daily routine to get used to

Since it might be doing it to see when you will feed or exercise it, it might also help to feed it and exercise it at around the same time each day. This could help to get it to stop looking at you a lot since it will know when to expect food and exercise.

Limit reasons why it might be anxious

It would also help to limit reasons why it might be anxious by feeding it, exercising it and letting it pee before leaving it. It might also help to ensure that the room it stays in is not too bright, loud or hot.