Free Tips on How to Help a Dog that Dislikes Eye Contact

During this Omaha dog training session, we worked with Roman, a fearful American Staffy mix. Roman is a sweet dog that dislikes eye contact and is scared of new people. He lives with his roommates Daisy, a Pomeranian, and Ryah, a Shiba Inu mix.

How to Interact with a Fearful Dog

As a dog behavior expert, I have found that the trick to a successful meetings with fearful dogs is to do so outside. After using a few dog behaviorist tricks we were able to meet Roman in a calm and relaxed encounter. We took a short walk then headed back to his home so we could meet his roomies and discuss his dog behavior problems.

We love helping scared dogs feel more confident because we know it makes a big difference in their lives. I recommended rules and structure to help a dog feel confident that their owners can keep them safe and secure.

Helping a Dog that Dislikes Eye Contact

I noticed that Roman didn’t like receiving eye contact from strangers. He barked and moved away after eye contact that lasted longer than a few seconds. Dogs often bark when strangers make direct eye contact, but this behavior is not ideal.

Dogs might interpret eye contact as a threat or challenge, particularly from strangers. They could also perceive it as an attempt to take away something valuable, such as a toy or treat.

If a dog is staring with intense eyes and standing stiffly, it may mean they feel threatened or protective of their space. Additionally, dogs are sensitive to human emotions like fear, which can sometimes provoke aggression in them.

Another sign a dog is uncomfortable with eye contact is if they’re giving a person the scared dog eyes. When a dog is stressed, their eyes may look rounder or show a lot of white around the edges, which is sometimes called a “whale eye.”

When a dog has dilated pupils, it can mean they are scared or excited.This can make their eyes look shiny and indicate that the dog is feeling threatened, stressed, or scared.

I decided to show his guardians an exercise to help him see eye contact as a good thing. I call it a focus exercise. You can learn how to train a dog to focus by watching the free positive dog training video below.

As you can see in the video above, it was difficult to communicate with Roman because he saw eye contact as a challenge. Also, it did not help that his family was getting a new fence installed on the same day. This can be too much for a scared or nervous dog.

We showed the other dogs first; then the guardians practiced with Roman themselves. Teaching a scared dog to concentrate is simple in a calm environment.

The focus exercise helps fearful dogs by shifting their attention away from things that scare them or make them stressed. I suggested to the owners that they practice this at home. The dogs should be rested from the training session before practicing.

I’m hopeful that what we covered in this in-home Omaha dog training session will do the trick. Because Roman is anxious, we may need to schedule another session in about a month to help him feel more confident.

We made a video for Roman’s family to remember the tips and tricks from the training session at their home. The video will help them recall everything we discussed, including helping a dog with reactive behavior. Check out Romans roadmap to success video below.