Communicating with Eyes

[Leslie and Halas]

Someone at the dog park yesterday told me that dogs can be very leery of another dog if they can't see that other dog's eyes. In other words, dogs might be suspicious of our doodles if their hair is covering their eyes. I've always heard that dogs take direct eye contact as threatening, so I was surprised to hear this, and I didn't believe it at first (if his hair is in his eyes, Halas can't make direct eye contact). But now I'm not so sure. There are lots of ways to communicate with their eyes besides just direct eye contact, so maybe they communicate with their eyes more than I think. Halas hasn't had any problems at the dog park with other dogs, but his hair isn't completely in his eyes. I've read posts about doodles getting jumped by other dogs out on walks or at dog parks, so I wonder if there's any connection there. Does another dog maybe see a doodle as threatening if the doodle's hair is in his eyes a little bit? In all my time here on DK, I've never seen anything about keeping the eyes well-trimmed so that other dogs can see them, so I'm thinking that it's not really a big issue (beyond just normal grooming and the fact that the dog needs to be able to see). But I wanted to put this out there and see if others have any knowledge or an opinion on the subject. So, do a dog's eyes need to be completely visible in order for that dog to communicate with other dogs?

[Karen & Lucy]

THE EYES HAVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!! I agree with everyone about having the hair cut away from the eyes. At first I was like everyone else and wanted that shaggy dog look. I still do, but I read an article about clearing the eyes so doodles can see clearly and I thought about it and agreed. I wouldn't want to have to look through hair either. I keep Lucy's eyes free of hair now and I can tell you when I am playing or talking to her I watch her eyes and I can tell how she is feeling by how she moves her eyes and, at times will not even look at me. Those are the times when she knows she is in trouble. I am no expert, but know how I can communicate with Lucy and her with me. I expect that she communicates with other canine as she does with me. Try it. Let us know if you see a difference.

[Sessa]

Great topic---really important stuff, for sure!
And, great article--good read and I couldn't agree more! :) :)

In fact, I believe it works both ways too--I've seen some dogs have issues when people wear glasses/sunglasses or hats that obscure the face (these dogs, in most cases, were never desensitized or exposed to these situations from the get-go)....it makes it equally difficult for this type of dog to 1) trust that person, let alone 2) listen to that person in the first place! lol! ;)

And, briefly wanted to comment on the post regarding the "look at me" command: when you first start out with this command it is short and sweet, that's absolutely correct....however, the command can also be developed for a sustained "look at me" which can be held past the 7 second mark (and without inciting any aggression between you and your dog)....
...in some areas of advanced obedience training, you'll find that the longer "look at me" command comes up often--for example, as in a "true" (used loosely by me here! lol) walking heel where the dog is walking at your side with sustained eye contact---and yup, that means the dog trusts you to not run them off a cliff or into a wall or post! ;)
My Mija doodle will gladly hold a longer "look" if she knows there is a BIG reward coming....like a frisbee being tossed or a high-value treat. ;) Good Luck, I'm here to say that its totally possible!! :) :)

[Mommy2Max]

When I got Max, I thought I would have his hair grow over his eyes because I loved the shaggy dog look. However, once it began to grow in, I kind of felt bad for the little guy. Max has really handsome hazel eyes too (yeah, I'm Mommy so, maybe I don't count LOL)

I now keep it trimmed away from his eyes. I use thinning shears for the rest of the face to keep it thinned out but, still give the appearance of a shaggy look.

Max's tail was docked, before I got him, and I've wondered if that will cause communication problems with other dogs.

~Danielle

[Kim]

I have heard this before, and everytime I go to the groomer I make sure that Allie's eyes are showing. I personally don't like the look of her hair over her eyes anyway.

I have also heard that dogs become nervous when they can't see... I'm not sure how true that is, a co-worker told me that!

[IDOGMa]

"dogs become nervous when they can't see... I'm not sure how true "

This is very true. Think about it... IF you couldnt see and were trying to just do your normal stuff, wouldnt that make you nervous too? You have to depend upon all your other sense to help you out - so you would naturally become reactive until you figured out how to cope missing the eyesight.

[Paula]

Great post! I trimmed Xena's bangs and around her eyes last night and I LOVE it! She looks adorable and I can finally make eye contact with her! It does look a bit choppy though....oops!

[Tegan]

On a semi related topic... another reason to keep the eye area well trimmed is the possibility of eye infections. If the hair around the eyes is too long it can get into the eye and cause an infection. When Kali was younger I let her hair grow too long around and it caused a rather nasty infection. Sometimes if I've left it a little too long her eyes start to get a little irritated and I know it's time to trim asap.