Eye contact with pets

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Do those of you who find eye contact (with people) difficult find the same or different with your pets? Also, those humans who are closest to you.

Interesting. I haven't had a pet in a while.
I never made good eye contact with an animal - no different than humans.

Worse in a way if that is possible.
I remember trying to look at my childhood dog (a female cocker spaniel/poodle mix) and I felt so judged.
I really felt like she knew what a lie I was living or could see my discomfort with the whole situation.
I must have been about 10 - Hadn't thought about that in many years

i can never make eye contact with people. on the few occassions ive tryed, i think i did it too much and then it was like i was staring at the other person down and then they got uncomfortable and that made me uncomfortable so now i dont do it at all. i like to look in my pets eyes i feel its easier to communicate with animals, you just have to give a look instead of talking.

I find eye contact with animals easier than with humans. But that might be b/c like myself, animals avoid eye contact anyway .

I can make eye contact with animals, but I usually don't. Sometimes they see it as a display of dominance so I avoid it. I've even heard (not sure if it's true) that some will engage in a staring contest and whoever holds their gaze the longest is seen as dominant.

most animals i've met (non-human) consider prolonged eye contact either a threat or a dominance issue, so we understand each other and don't stare.

I just naturally don't make eye contact. Why should I want to stare at my cat's eyes, when the rest of him is what he uses to talk with?

Yeah, I don't think they like to be stared at, but when I'm petting my dog and saying sweet things to her she gazes right into my eyes with the sweetest expression. I do have a hard time looking into people's eyes much, but hers are so loving, it's no problem.

No dog has ever called my a ret*d.

Yeah, Astaut is right. Staring is a sign of dominance. I use to stare my dog in the eyes and then he'd charge at me and growl. Now though when I look at his face, he turns his.

I would have no problem with it though.

I find that it's easier for me to give eye contact to my dog, than it is for me, to do it, with people.

My cats look me in the eyes and do that really slow loving blink when I talk to them.

I've never had a problem with eye contact with animals, seeing as I grew up around dogs and cats. There's only a few people who I can make actual eye contact with, but I can with any animal.

The slow blinking is an acknowledgement of no threat towards us or them. All my cats over the years have done this to me just as I have done to them.
My current cat goes one better and winks at me if I look at him.

I have difficulty with dogs and they don`t respond well to either the way I walk or maybe my facial expressions. I was thankful when I read somewhere that if a dog is showing interest in you and you are uncomfortable with that, then you should fold your arms and look up into the sky and let them analyze why you are ignoring them.

It does seem to work.

It's interesting, the other morning I was kind of staring into space and my cat happened to run up into just the right position so we made eye contact without me having to move, and then stopped. Because it didn't really register in my head, I guess, I continued not moving as we looked at each other. After a few seconds, she got a frightened look and ran away, which woke me up. She was a rescue, so I ran after her to make sure she knew I wasn't going to eat her.

I guess eye contact with my pets and the people I care about tends to be brief, when it does occur. Not necessarily because it's uncomfortable, but because I tend to always be doing stuff even when I'm with others--reading, eating, watching movies, playing games, on the computer, etc.

Even when I'm with close friends and loved ones having a serious discussion, I find it easier to talk if the light is dim or at least there's something else to look at. It's easier to organize my thoughts. Anybody else feel this way?

(Uh-oh, you found one of my nerd areas...be prepared... )

Cats actually do use their eyes, albeit intermittently. Prolonged eye contact they find threatening. However, certain kinds of glances they will use. When they meet your eyes and give you a slow blink, they're telling you they're relaxed and content, that you make them happy. Doing it back shows you feel the same towards them. If you're relaxed and they're fairly relaxed, you can also initiate it, and if they blink back, then you've really done something right! Turning that into a stare isn't nice for a cat, but that is one way they can communicate something positive to you with their eyes.

If your cat is relaxed and looks at you and does this, you're doing well. http://www.youtube.com/user/indyhumane# ... LUVg4B_8q4