Why is my dog staring at me?

Perhaps he/she is overwhelmed with love for you and doesn't want to let you out of their site.

Your dog might need some of your attention or is hungry!

Dogs have a variety of reasons to stare at their human companions. They may be in the mood to play. They may need to go outside for relief. The may be hungry. They may want to go walk.

If you work with your dog well, you can use commands or questions and visuals to help them communicate with more behaviors than just the "moony eyes" as I like to call it.

Curiosity! Dogs are complex beings that want to understand and learn -- toss a new trick into the mix to amp up their use of brain power. Dogs are only as smart as you allow them to be, and don't mind the creepy eyes in the meanwhile.

I have generally seen this in dogs who need or want one of the following:

1) to go to the bathroom

2) to play

3) to have your undivided attention (for whatever reason: jealousy, nervousness, etc.)

4) help with something (my golden retriever does this when her ball is stuck somewhere that she can't get to.)

5) because they love you. My dog will sometimes do this just because she always wants to be where I am and if she stares at me, she won't miss out on anything.