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Dogs: Direct Eye Contact

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I often wonder what my dogs are thinking. Sometimes I even imagine and act out conversations between them when they are interacting out in the yard or playing in the living. While it amuses my kids to no end, I do often wonder what their thoughts are, as this could be pretty useful stuff to know. For example, why do they act as though the vacuum cleaner has come to murder them and the rest of the family? Why does our one particular dog try to fit under the sofa whenever it gets rainy outside? Though it is unlikely I will ever get answers to those questions, scientists have made some exciting new discoveries regarding how dogs communicate with us and each other. This research has provided me with on exceptionally valuable fact: I know whether …show more content…

Direct Eye Contact During a segment on 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper met with Brian Hare, an established dog expert, to talk about how dogs show love. Hare states that when your dog makes direct eye contact by staring into your eyes, he is “hugging you with his eyes.” Direct eye contact for dogs releases oxytocin in their bloodstream, which is the same hormone that aids new mothers in bonding with their babies. Test this out sometime with our dog when you are interacting normally. Don’t try a staring contest though, as your dog may become confused and look away because...well…it’s awkward. Don’t make it weird, just try to maintain natural eye contact with them when you are doing things you always do together. 2. Sharing Yawns Yes, humans and dogs both have yawn reflexes. Due to the fact that dogs have been bred to read humans, they also yawn when someone they care for yawns, too. A research study discovered that when humans echo each other’s yawns, it is evidence of empathy. While there is no scientific measure of empathy in dogs, it is believed that they echo human yawns when they have bonded with that particular human. Research did show, however, that dogs are far more likely to yawn when their owners do compared to

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