Eye contact with pets

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I've noticed that dogs usually make eye contact when they want something. I've also noticed that my dog's pupils dilate when she begs. I always wondered if they know that they're making thier eyes look so sad / cute.

I make eye contact with my cat all the time. I don't stare at her, of course, but we do exchange blinks frequently.

I've always been apprehensive around dogs and I wonder if it's because they stared me down and I always found being stared at a threat. I look at my lizard's eyes now and then but I don't stare at her but no, I don't think I make eye contact with animals and I definatly do not with people.

My oldest cat can tell me so much through her eyes. We have staring contests sometimes to see who can mentally command the other to get up and come over for a cuddle. It's pretty even scoring.

I like looking at cats eyes because they are really interesting, but with my white cats they usually aren't looking back at my eyes so it's not like eye contact. I would probably find human eyes interesting also if someone would let me look at their eyes and not look back at mine.

If I look in my dog's eyes for too long he starts running around the room like a maniac. Not sure what that's about, but I try not to do it too often.

I have issues with looking people in the eyes.

Wow, i yesterday i was thinking about this and considered making a board about it, but never got around to it. Strange.
But, yes, i find eye contact with non-human animals to be very easy.

My cat always stares me straight in the eye when he wants something, and he doesn't seem to mind if I stare back at him. I've got no problem with making eye contact with him.

As for people, I don't usually feel any anxiety or revulsion if I make eye contact with them....mostly I just forget to do it because it doesn't seem to have any obvious function, and because I tend to lose focus on what we're saying to each other and just start thinking about their eyes. But I've been making some progress lately, and I think I'm beginning to get into the eye-contact habit, at least with people I feel reasonably safe with. It doesn't give me any conscious insights into the way they're feeling, but I suppose it's helping the social bonding process and it's one less excuse for them to decide I'm no good. I'm even starting to feel that eyes are quite nice to look at.

I have no problem with eye contact with dogs & cats, but HUGE trouble with eye contact with other people. Only thing I need to add, is that from general knowledge of animal behavior, I know that eye contact with a dog can cause trouble. The dog may perceive it as a challenge to a fight, or that you intend to attack. Many people don't know that, and it's unlikely that it would be an issue in a domestic pet. But a semi-wild homeless dog, might attack you for looking him/her in the eye. I always look at the ground when meeting a new dog, and I hold my hand out (palm down, and lower than the dog's head), to let them sniff.

With horses, eye contact is definitely a serious threat to them. Never look a horse in the eye, although you're not so much in danger of being hurt, you're likely to scare the horse from ever trusting you, if you look in the eye the first time meeting.

Sorry to get off on a tangent, but I thought it should be mentioned.

Charles

Well, I do look my cat in the eye, but that's because cats have such beautiful eyes, so I'm not sure if that counts.

My son is the only person i don't have real problems with eye contact with.
Of course he's only 14 weeks old... I'm intentionally trying to make as much eye contact with him as I can possibly do, maybe as he gets older i'll be able to continue not having a problem with it. Maybe it'll help me with eye contact with other people.