Does your dog make continuous eye contact with you while doing its business? As a dog owner you may find all this staring a bit odd, leaving a string of questions in your head. Here’s a list of possible reasons so as to explain the strong eye contact your dog makes with you during poop time.

• One way to explain this behavior is the awkward risk a dog may feel exposed to while he maintains his posture to carry out the excretion of feces. The animal has to squat and position itself in a certain way for a certain period of time and it may experience an inability to fight an enemy or run for cover when it is performing the daily defecation chore. Especially a younger dog may feel increasingly open to attack & insecure.

The dog owner always strives to act as a successful pack leader and therefore the pet dog may watch you during this situation to obtain some sort of assurance from you. Dependability is what most dogs will look for at this time. A 2009 research in Hormones and Behavior threw some light on an extended eye contact between dogs & their owners and the physiological aspect behind it, concluding that the pet probably considers its master to be its mother.

• Another way to look at the reason for the intense gaze is that the dog may be looking for a reward for successfully ‘’performing its business outdoors’’. Madeline Friedman a dog behavior expert and trainer has tried to explain the connection by stating that during puppyhood a dog is constantly rewarded for pooping outdoors, this dog may not be offered treats etc in the same way when it has been completely house-broken.

• Nick Jones, a London based Dog behaviorist and trainer is of the opinion that the dog may make an eye contact in a hope to receive its master’s thumbs up/nod with regard to the spot chosen for relieving itself. This could occur in a case where previously the dog was reprimanded for defecating in the wrong place.

• Sonja Olson of Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners believes that the dog’s stare could mean that it is wanting some private time while at its task of pooping. Some canines avoid pooping when on the leash or when under vigilance; they may want to run away to a private corner where they would not attract anyone’s interest away from the familiarity of the neighborhood.

Your pet’s behavior during defection time would depend upon factors such as the type of breed, natural instincts of the dog, and intimacy of the relationship shared between the dog & its master. It could look at you or simply chose to be on its own! But as a discerning owner care must be taken to acknowledge the natural behavior (particularly if it is a safe choice) displayed by the pet while defecating. Remember never to frighten the four legged family member with any action of yours if it chooses to make that special eye contact.