Dog-human eye contact
Takumi is very good at making eye contact with his human.
When Takumi first came to live with me, I was worried that we would not form a connection. He would sit and stare with his pitch-black eyes, but I couldn’t sense what he was feeling. Then one day, things clicked. I felt that I could read him, and vice versa. From that day on, it felt like we are somehow bonded.
Did you know that humans and their dog companions can show the same biochemical responses as the mother-child bond, and this link is reinforced by eye contact? A study in 2015 found that mutual gazing between human and their pooch increased the levels of oxytocin, a hormone that is associated with love, empathy, trust, and relationship-building [1]. On the other hand, wolves rarely engage in eye contact with their human handlers and are resistant to this effect.
So can you teach your dog to make eye contact with you more often? Yes! Just practice the following training. This command will not only increase the mutual gazing between you and your pet, but it is also an important lesson to teach your dog to focus on you instead of everything else going on around them.
Get a yummy treat and hold it in your hand, and have your dog sit in front of you.
Move the treat to the corner of your eyes. When your eyes lock, click with a training clicker (or mark with a “yes”), give the treat. Repeat. Repeat.
Next, do as above but give a cue (e.g. “watch”, I use his name “Takumi”) just as you move the treat close to your eye. When your eyes meet, click and give the treat. Repeat and repeat.
When your dog is getting the hang of this, say “watch” and move the treat halfway to your eye. The instant your dog looks into your eyes, click and treat. If your dog is not locking eyes with you, move the treat close to your eyes and repeat step 3, then 4.
Say “watch” but do not hold out the treat. When there is eye contact, click and treat. Some dogs will get this command in a few tries and some will need more repetitions. Practice in different places and situations to reinforce the command.
References
1. Nagasawa, M., et al., Social evolution. Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds. Science, 2015. 348(6232): p. 333-6.
