# Does your GSD stare at you?



## SharkB8 (Jul 28, 2008)

When Maxx first came home, I read that eye-contact was good. I also read in a book somewhere that in order to instill dominance, you should stare at the puppy until he looks away. So I did that.

Not sure if this has anything to do with anything, it most likely doesn't.

But Maxx is _constantly_ "watching" me. He's on his bed, on the floor, in the car, anywhere, his eyes are always on me. I know this is a good thing, although, this is not always the case when we're on a walk!









Sometimes I'll be cooking or reading and all of a sudden I get that "I'm being watched" feeling and look up and Maxx is just starting his little heart out.

He'll stare at me, glance at my fiance, the stare back at me.

Anyone else experience this?

I know he's probably just anticipating my next move, but it cracks me up sometimes!


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## Goofy (Sep 27, 2008)

Normal, goofy does this all the time. My wife complains that he is her shadow also. Anytime she gets up or moves while sitting on the couch he has to make sure everything is ok.


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## Nikkoli110 (Sep 9, 2008)

Katie does that all the time, and I've started to see Titan doing it. Almost like making sure me and the hubby are "ok".


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## AndreaG (Mar 3, 2006)

You know that people spend immense time and resources and TRAIN their dogs to do this?







Called Focus on you? It's a GOOD thing!! Congarts for being the leader your dog wants to follow every second in his life.


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## Superpup (Jun 7, 2007)

Be very very very very very (did I say VERY??) happy about this.







You have a dog that WANTS to pay attention to you, wants YOUR attention and seeks eye contact. Tons of people try to TRAIN their dogs to pay attention and you have it WITHOUT any training...
My little Brandie is this way, she is constantly staring at me and I absolutely love it. She is so attentive and intense, she always keeps her eye on me!! It is very good for training!!
Good luck with your pup!


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

> Originally Posted By: SharkB8He'll stare at me, glance at my fiance, the stare back at me.


oh yes, sounds like Morgan. She's always watching me, even when I think she's taking a nap.


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## VectorSketcher (Jul 20, 2008)

My pup Rogue stares at me, and has since the first day I brought her home. She will sometimes stare so intently and for so long that I feel like she is trying to connect with me, or mentally tell me to get her a treat! Ha ha...your right though sometimes it is funny. I have never really put much thought into it though, just figured it was something she loved to do, my other gsd stares but not as long nor as intently as Rogue, he is a casual watcher!


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## SharkB8 (Jul 28, 2008)

Lol!

Like I said, he doesn't do this when we're on a walk. He's pretty polite with the leash now and if I call his name, he might flick an ear back at me, but he's pretty much in the zone.

I used to have 2 chows and they NEVER did this. If I shuffled or made a noise, they would put their heads up and look at me. Maybe a glance before rolling over, but Maxx...well, he's just flat out being RUDE!









Didn't know if it was a shepherd thing...y'know, on account of how learn-ed they are


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## Rügen (Mar 19, 2008)

I've got a GSD stalker too!







they are too funny.

My female, Mully was way worse than my little male Rugen. He 'checks up' on me a lot and likes to stare. She was ALWAYS with me or watching me. 

I heard that thing where if you show a dog a mirror on the floor they may either think it's another dog (bark at it) or look behind it for the dog... yeah Mully looked at herself for a split second then made and held eye contact with me through the mirror. After that I would catch her staring at me through angles in mirrors. That was creepy... in a sweet way.

After so many years it doesn't even phase me anymore. Guests think my GSDs want to eat them.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

I know it's kinda unsettling but you'll get used to it after a while. If it means anything, Morgan is the most loyal of my 7 GSDs (make that 6, Otto is too young to count). She's also the most obedient and my personal rule enforcer.


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## SharkB8 (Jul 28, 2008)

For the record, Maxx is 6. I've had him since he was 8 weeks and he's been staring all along!









I was just thinking about it as I was perusing the boards and he was giving me that dippy, transe-like stare!


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## SharkB8 (Jul 28, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Caras_GSDI heard that thing where if you show a dog a mirror on the floor they may either think it's another dog (bark at it) or look behind it for the dog... yeah Mully looked at herself for a split second then made and held eye contact with me through the mirror. After that I would catch her staring at me through angles in mirrors. That was creepy... in a sweet way.


HAHAHA! I just noticed last week that Maxx has been staring at me in the rearview in the car! It was at night and as a car approached, it lit up his eyes in the rearview. Cracked me up! He probably thinks I'm in it!


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## Karin (Jan 4, 2008)

Heidi's a starer too. She will just gaze into my eyes for the longest time with the most serious, soulful expression. I've never had a dog that did this before, but I kind of like it!


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## SharkB8 (Jul 28, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: SunCzarinaI know it's kinda unsettling but you'll get used to it after a while. If it means anything, Morgan is the most loyal of my 7 GSDs (make that 6, Otto is too young to count). She's also the most obedient and my personal rule enforcer.


Is that Morgan in you avatar? Gorgeous!


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

Big Brother is watching. By "Big Brother," I mean my dog, Renji.







If he can help it, we're never out of his sight except if he is sleeping. Even then, if we move, his eyes are back on us.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

> Originally Posted By: SharkB8
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: SunCzarinaI know it's kinda unsettling but you'll get used to it after a while. If it means anything, Morgan is the most loyal of my 7 GSDs (make that 6, Otto is too young to count). She's also the most obedient and my personal rule enforcer.
> ...


No, that's the baby, I need to update my avi becuase he's grown into those ears. This is Morgan with her second favorite person.


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## SharkB8 (Jul 28, 2008)

Aww! I'm not sure who's cuter in this pic!


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## wildwolf60 (Apr 13, 2001)

Yes, mine always stare at us! It's really funny, sometimes! And as a couple of other posters mentioned about the mirror thing, I had a shep who deliberately would watch me in the mirror, until I got that feeling of being watched and when I would look up, I'd see him in mirror reflection, then he'd silently snap his jaws at me and give a big goofy dog grin! As if to say, I see you! He knew it was a reflection, I swear! He would do this all the time! Funniest thing ever to experience!


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Grimm often attempts "The Doofus Mind Meld." I love gazing into his warm, caramel-colored eyes under his stacks upon stacks of velvetty eyebrows.


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

I can't even go the bathroom with out him knowing
No matter what I am doing Brady always is watching!!

as I tyoe he is laying in the hall watching making sure I don't do a disappearing act or go somewhere with out him
could be worse he wouldn't want anything to do with me


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: SunCzarina
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: SharkB8
> ...


Theres the gorgeous Morgan


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## dog27 (Apr 8, 2007)

My dog is always watching me too. But if he stares fixedly into my eyes, he wants to get something from me. When this happens, I say "show me" while watching his eyes. They will move towards the object of his desire. Sometimes he looks towards the door, meaning he wants to go out. Or it might be towards something else like food on the table or a cat in the other room. Tonight one of his toys was on top of a crate and there was a pile of gear covering up the toy. He gave me the stare and after "show me" he looked to the pile until I found the toy underneath that he could smell. He uses me as a proxy to get what he wants.

This can be seen as a passive form of begging, but I often reward it by giving him what he wants because I try to encourage this form of communication. If what he wants is inappropriate for him then I just say no. I'm glad he asks though.


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## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: littledmcI can't even go the bathroom with out him knowing
> No matter what I am doing Brady always is watching!!


Yeah...what is with that? I have a strict no pets in the bathroom while I am in there rule now. It used to be that the cats would follow me in and now Mandi does. Sometimes i'll hear her paw scratch at the bottom of the door as she lays against the bathroom door waiting for me to come out. Like there is a secret out in there where I can escape through. 

I have pretty much gotten used to her watching everything I do. I believe that she is not watching "me" as much as she is watching what I am doing so she can do it when I am not looking. She had learned to get into things and I just know its because she watched us do it.


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## IliamnasQuest (Aug 24, 2005)

Actually staring at your dog until they look away in order to establish dominance isn't what I would consider a good idea. It's kind of an old-fashioned "I'm the ALPHA" concept and I doubt that any good trainers promote that these days.

I train my dogs from day one to make eye contact and to maintain eye contact for as long as I want them to. This is vital for obedience training. When your dog is looking at you then you KNOW you have their attention! *L* And without attention, it's really hard to train.

My shepherds are good at looking at me and have a natural tendency, but the dogs that have been the most intense are my chows. All three have had extremely focused, intense eye contact with me. It's in part their training, but also in part the relationship that we have. Khana will come over and lay her chin on the bed and just stare into my eyes (just a few inches away). She and I are really close. And the heeling I teach involves having the dogs look up at my face, so I reinforce the eye contact quite a bit.

Trick, my 12 y/o GSD, isn't near as attentive as she used to be. These days she likes to hang out on the cushy bed and let the chows be attentive to what's going on. But she often comes over with a toy or ball, sticks it in my lap and then stares intently until I throw it for her. It used to take a dozen or more throws to satisfy her, but now she's down to three or four.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska


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## IliamnasQuest (Aug 24, 2005)

Actually staring at your dog until they look away in order to establish dominance isn't what I would consider a good idea. It's kind of an old-fashioned "I'm the ALPHA" concept and I doubt that any good trainers promote that these days.

I train my dogs from day one to make eye contact and to maintain eye contact for as long as I want them to. This is vital for obedience training. When your dog is looking at you then you KNOW you have their attention! *L* And without attention, it's really hard to train.

My shepherds are good at looking at me and have a natural tendency, but the dogs that have been the most intense are my chows. All three have had extremely focused, intense eye contact with me. It's in part their training, but also in part the relationship that we have. Khana will come over and lay her chin on the bed and just stare into my eyes (just a few inches away). She and I are really close. And the heeling I teach involves having the dogs look up at my face, so I reinforce the eye contact quite a bit.

Trick, my 12 y/o GSD, isn't near as attentive as she used to be. These days she likes to hang out on the cushy bed and let the chows be attentive to what's going on. But she often comes over with a toy or ball, sticks it in my lap and then stares intently until I throw it for her. It used to take a dozen or more throws to satisfy her, but now she's down to three or four.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska


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## IliamnasQuest (Aug 24, 2005)

Actually staring at your dog until they look away in order to establish dominance isn't what I would consider a good idea. It's kind of an old-fashioned "I'm the ALPHA" concept and I doubt that any good trainers promote that these days.

I train my dogs from day one to make eye contact and to maintain eye contact for as long as I want them to. This is vital for obedience training. When your dog is looking at you then you KNOW you have their attention! *L* And without attention, it's really hard to train.

My shepherds are good at looking at me and have a natural tendency, but the dogs that have been the most intense are my chows. All three have had extremely focused, intense eye contact with me. It's in part their training, but also in part the relationship that we have. Khana will come over and lay her chin on the bed and just stare into my eyes (just a few inches away). She and I are really close. And the heeling I teach involves having the dogs look up at my face, so I reinforce the eye contact quite a bit.

Trick, my 12 y/o GSD, isn't near as attentive as she used to be. These days she likes to hang out on the cushy bed and let the chows be attentive to what's going on. But she often comes over with a toy or ball, sticks it in my lap and then stares intently until I throw it for her. It used to take a dozen or more throws to satisfy her, but now she's down to three or four.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska


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## SharkB8 (Jul 28, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: IliamnasQuestActually staring at your dog until they look away in order to establish dominance isn't what I would consider a good idea. It's kind of an old-fashioned "I'm the ALPHA" concept and I doubt that any good trainers promote that these days.


Yeah. I knew nothing about the breed. Very little about training and dominance. I was 19 and read it an a German shepherd book. Gave is a try. I think he'll be okay, but I don't think I'll be doing it with my next GSD.


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## IliamnasQuest (Aug 24, 2005)

Deleted redundant post!


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## IliamnasQuest (Aug 24, 2005)

Okay, sorry about all the posts! *LOL* Last night I kept getting an error message that the board was down, please "try again in a few minutes". Now it appears that everytime I tried, my post actually went through!

Melanie


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## Redbug (Dec 18, 2007)

Interesting thread. I have noticed the intense stares also, with my dog. I have had several other breeds of dogs and this is my first shepherd. Palmetto Pal is 14 months old, now. Now, I understand it's a shepherd thing. And after having one for this short period of time, I realize shepherds are not dogs. These guys are wired differently...and not like the typical hound. I am much more attached to him than any other dog I have had also, and that's probably because of their temperament and intelligence. I only wish I had gotten one years ago...


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