Heart-melting truth behind common dog behaviour you see during walks
You may have noticed your dog not paying attention to the path in front of them during walks, instead focusing their attention on you.
One dog owner was curious about why, taking her query to Reddit and asking, "What does it mean when a dog turns its head and look at me while walking?"
"I have always wondered the meaning of head turning. I let her lead and sniff most of time when walking. I give her confirmation when she looks at me then she keeps going. What is she trying to tell me?"
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If you've ever wondered why your dog keeps looking back at you during walks, you're about to be delighted. Getty
Many fellow pet owners weighed in, telling her she had nothing to worry about.
"That is what people train for weeks to develop. It's called a check in. Keep praising it when you see it," one shared.
"She's just checking to make sure you're still with her and perhaps to tell you she's having fun. Or maybe she saw something and wanted to know if you did too."
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It's a sign of love. Getty
Some dogs come to it more naturally than others Getty Images/iStockphoto
Another added, "Dogs are social/pack animals and we've spent thousands of years carefully selecting them for cooperative partnership with humans. What you're seeing is handler focus/engagement and is one of the core tenants of dog training/handling that we strive for.
"Some dogs have it more naturally than others, and it can be cultivated/diminished based on their experiences.
"Continue to mark and reward these check-ins with praise and/or treats and you'll have a strong foundation for training/obedience."
Others had a more heartwarming interpretation.
"Just checking to make sure you are having as much fun as they are!" one informed the original poster.
"She loves you. When dogs make eye contact they get an oxytocin hit. Its love," another added simply.
Some had hilarious recollections of this exact behaviour in their dogs.
"My lunatic Collie loves checking in far too much that she'll rather look at me than where she's going," one commenter shared, "[It] leads to many situations where I'm doubled over laughing at her, she's walked into many a tree/fence."
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Another thought of the "Comedy of my partner and I working tirelessly for months to get our pup to reliably check in, and seeing this post like 'some dogs come with this programmed?'"
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