7 Fascinating Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Stare At You

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One of the more peculiar things your australian shepherd might do is stare at you for uncomfortably long periods of time. Sometimes it can last 30 seconds, a minute, even several, why on earth do they stare so much?

Is it normal for australian shepherds to stare at you for so long or is something wrong?

Why Do Australian Shepherds Stare:

Australian shepherds will stare at you as a way to communicate. Since they can’t have a conversation with you, they’ll stare at you to let you know they need or want something. Other reasons they stare are because it makes them feel good or they’ve been trained to do it.

In this post you’ll discover:

7 interesting reasons why australian shepherds stare at you
Where your aussie may have learned this odd behavior
3 tips to help stop your aussie from staring so much (Tip #2 can help the quickest!)
And much more

Let’s jump right in.

Table of Contents

7 Real Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Stare

1) Eye Contact Makes Them Happy

When you have a strong bond with your australian shepherd, even a simple thing like eye contact can make them feel good.

The reason for this is because when you and your aussie stare at one another it releases oxytocin in their brain (as well as yours).

And oxytocin is a ‘happy hormone’ that plays an important role in developing bonds.

Interestingly, scientists believe this is one of the major reasons why dogs and people have continued to have a strong attachment to one another.

Dogs appear to be the only other animal that experiences this boost in oxytocin when staring at their owner.

So when a simple gaze can produce such a happy result/feeling, it’s no wonder your australian shepherd stares so much!

2) Letting You Know They Need Help

Considering your aussie doesn’t have hands or thumbs it really limits what they’re able to do by themselves.

Which means if they need help with something, they may communicate that to you through staring.

For example, if they need to go outside to relieve themselves or they may be hungry and want you to refill their bowl.

My pup will always go through this little progression of communication until I help with what she needs.

First, she’ll stare at me for a couple minutes.

If I don’t notice, she’ll then start huffing with the occasional paw stomp.

And if that doesn’t work it’ll evolve into her yelling (barking) at me to get my attention to let her out.

This is actually good behavior in my mind because she knows accidents inside are bad so she lets me know when I need to help her be good.

Related Reading: Top 8 Best Beds For Australian Shepherds

3) Wanting You To Pay Attention To Them

Have you ever been in the middle of doing something and then suddenly realized your aussie is just standing there staring at you?

It’s as if they’re trying to say “Hey! I’m over here! Pay attention to me!” And you know what? They may very well be trying to tell you that!

Australian shepherds are very social, expressive dogs and love to communicate with their owners.

So when they see you busy doing something else, it may make them feel left out or unimportant.

And one of the ways for them to get your attention is by staring at you until you notice them.

So next time your aussie is giving you the stare down, try to take a break from what you’re doing and give them some quick attention/lovin’.

4) It’s a Learned Behavior

There are a few ways that your australian shepherd may have learned to stare at you.

First is through your training.

When you were training them with their initial basic commands, you likely would do your best to get their attention and have them stare at you in order to listen.

If their eyes would wander elsewhere they’d lose focus and be much more difficult to train.

Which means they likely learned from a young age that staring at you was good behavior.

Another reason your australian shepherd might have learned to stare at you is if they’re expecting a reward for a certain behavior.

For example, since they were a young pup they would have gotten lots of praise when they went number 1 and 2 outside.

Which could make them stare at you after they’ve relieved themselves because they’re expecting and waiting for attention/affection.

Another situation could be that they’ve learned staring at you long enough gets you to share food with them.

If your aussie stares you down for 2, 3, 5, even 10 minutes while eating and eventually it results in them getting some food, they’ll keep doing it.

And do it quite often.

5) Asserting Dominance?

One of the more popular theories as to why australian shepherds stare is that they’re trying to assert their dominance.

The theory is that wolves in the wild would often have to stare down one another or other animals to show who was boss and who was subordinate.

This is likely to be one of the least likely reasons for your australian shepherd to stare.

But, it’s definitely a possibility in certain situations.

You’ll be able to tell if this is what their stare means based on the rest of their body language.

If they have a stiff body, ears raised or pushed forward, their tail is still and raised to the height of their body, they may be attempting to assert their dominance.

If you ever see your aussie behaving this way to someone in your family or a close friend it’s important to correct the behavior.

Your pup may need to learn that you’re the alpha of this pack and they don’t need to be so aggressive/protective.

This doesn’t mean being physical with them, it simply means becoming the leader of your pack by training them in many different environments.

This way they’ll understand their place and won’t feel the need to assert dominance.

Which is important for dogs.

6) Curious Or Confused

Have you ever noticed your aussie staring at you and then suddenly they start tilting their head to the side?

It’s as if they can’t quite figure out what you’re doing or why you’re doing it.

Or if you make an interesting/weird sound that they aren’t sure about.

This is likely because they’re curious about what you’re up to or they may be confused by your actions.

Staring for this reason can also start to happen more as your australian shepherd moves into their senior years.

It could be a sign that they’re starting to lose their cognitive function.

If your aussie is in their senior years and is starting more and more recently with a blank face, it’s a good idea to take a vet look at them.

7) They’re Reading You

Studies have shown that dogs are actually quite good at picking up on your emotions.

While they’ve proven that dogs can actually smell your emotions, they’ve also found that they’re quite good at reading facial expressions and body language.

Which means when your australian shepherd is staring at you they’re trying to get a read on how you’re feeling.

This helps them know how they should feel based on what they pick up from you.

Which is helpful to them because they see you as the leader of their pack and they trust your judgment.

So if you’re visibly sad/upset, they’ll take that as a sign that they too should feel this way and adjust accordingly.

3 Tips To Stop Your Australian Shepherd From Staring At You

1) Don’t Give In

One of the worst things you can do if you want to stop them from staring so much is give in to your australian shepherd’s stare.

If they’re staring at you because they want food, attention, or anything else.

It’s important not to give in and instead make them wait or work for it.

This will help teach them that their stare doesn’t always mean they’ll get what they want.

It will also help them learn that you’re not always going to give in to their demands.

Which is an important lesson for all aussies to learn.

2) More Playtime/Exercise

Australian shepherds need plenty of daily physical and mental stimulation.

If they don’t get enough, they may find many ways to bug you and try to get your attention.

Staring at you being one of them.

So, if you find that your aussie is staring at you more than usual.

It may be a sign that they need more exercise or playtime.

Try adding in an extra walk or two each day or playing some fetch in the backyard.

This will help them burn off some energy and hopefully stop the excessive staring.

3) Watch What You Reward

As mentioned earlier, if you give in to your aussie’s stare they’re likely to do it more often.

So, it’s important to be mindful of what behaviors you’re rewarding and which ones you’re not.

For example, if you usually give them attention/praise when they sit and stay.

But then one day they start randomly staring at you and you give them attention to get them to stop.

They’re likely to start staring at you more often because they know it gets them rewarded with your attention.

It’s important to be consistent with your rewards and only give them when they’ve done something you’ve asked of them.

This will help teach them that they only get rewarded for certain behaviors.

Other posts you might find interesting:

12 Best Harnesses for Australian Shepherds

7 Reasons Australian Shepherds Eat Everything + 4 Tips

Why Do Australian Shepherds Pee So Much? The Truth + Tips

9 Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Nip + 5 Helpful Tips

Sources:

Why Does My Dog Stare At Me?

Oxytocin-Gaze Positive Loop and the Coevolution of Human-Dog Bonds

Can Dogs Recognize Emotions Just by Looking at a Human Face?