Why Does My Dog Stare At Me When I Sleep? You Won't Believe

Why Does My Dog Stare At Me When I Sleep? You Won’t Believe

Have you ever felt someone watching you while you are asleep? Or have you suddenly woken up from sleep and opened your eyes to see your dog staring at you? Then I wouldn’t blame you if you had a sudden mini attack after seeing your pet’s eyes staring at you in the dark. But they are the guardians we have who will keep an eye on us 24/7 if they can. 

Why does my dog stare at me when I sleep? The answers to these are simple but can differ from dog to dog. The reasons your pet is staring at you can go from boredom to loneliness to protecting you to showing affection. It is up to the owner to understand what your pet communicates to you through his eyes. 

Suppose you suddenly woke up in the middle of the night, looked at your dog, and saw him staring at you.

Some owners will unsurprisingly be shaken up to see two eyes looking back at them in the dark. But, some of us will be pleased that our pet is looking over us, protecting us from danger even when we are asleep. 

But that wouldn’t stop us from wondering why my dog stares at me when I sleep. For those who are in doubt about that, then this article is especially for you. 

Why Does My Dog Stare At Me When I Sleep? 

There could be a vast array of reasons why your dog is staring at you while you are sleeping. While many of us wouldn’t even notice them staring at us, we might witness this at some point sometimes.

While this is not usually a typical trait in dogs, they might gaze at us while we’re sleeping for a few days during his life. 

Let’s first see some common reasons for this behavior in dogs. 

  • To protect you

Dogs are very light sleepers. They are always on alert and will be on edge, even while sleeping. Therefore, it would not be surprising if he heard you waking up and was looking to check if you’re alright.

Once he realizes you are not in danger, they will go back to sleep (most probably if it’s still night) or wake up with you. So, there is nothing to panic or get scared about.

Your boy just heard the ruffle and shuffled on your bed and looked up to catch your eyes just in time as you opened your eyes.

  • Your dog is hungry

A common reason that answers your question, Why does my dog stare at me when I sleep, is that they are hungry. Did you fall asleep and forget to feed your woofy? They will keep an eye on you for you to wake up.

If you have already fed him, they might feel a rogue hunger in the middle of the night. And maybe that is why he is staring at you.

  • Boredom

Up next, many dogs stare at their sleeping owners if they are bored. It is not that staring at you gives him joy. He’s waiting for you to give him a cue that you are about to wake up.

Other than waking you up and disturbing your slumber, waiting for you to wake up is good behavior in your pet. Some dogs are restless when they want something. And no matter what you are doing, they will disturb you and get what they want. 

You can consider the above three points as the most significant points that answer why my dog stares at me when I sleep.

But other than these three, there are many more reasons your pet stares at you while you’re asleep. Let me quickly list them down below. 

  • Woofy might be feeling lonely and is in dire need of your company
  • He might get a sudden feeling that he should keep guard on you
  • Dogs tend to stare at owners out of love and affection
  • Your pet might need to go out to potty
  • If the dog has attachment issues, he might stare at you excessively
  • He might be waiting for you to wake up and play with him

Staring is one of your pet’s ways of communicating with you. Not only when you were sleeping, but he would also gaze at you intently throughout the day.

Translating your pet’s stares into words might look complicated, and you might have trouble understanding your pet at one point in your life – possibly when the pet is still new to you.

But with time, I can guarantee that you will be able to read your pet like a book.

What Does It Mean When Your Dog Stares At You While You Sleep?

You are the pack leader of your dog. So when you are asleep, he will have no one to hang out with. Therefore, he will be left alone until you wake up.

So no matter what needs he has during the night, your dog will be forced to stay until you wake up to get them fulfilled. 

These needs could steer from requirements to play to wanting to go out to potty. Therefore, when you get doubts about why my dog stares at me when I sleep, most of the time, your answer will be one of the reasons mentioned above. 

But, as always, these could change from dog to dog according to their personalities. Therefore, as the dog parent, you must pay close attention to the doggo from day one of owning him to understand his personality. 

If you are a very busy person who is always away from your pet or don’t have any more time for your pet other than to fulfil his bare minimum needs, don’t worry.

With time, you will understand your pet, but it is wise to allocate more time for your pet. It is imperative for the relationship between you and woofy.

We hope you have received almost all the information to pull you out of the doubt, “Why does my dog stare at me when I sleep.” If you have any more doubts, don’t hesitate to send them to us.

We will try our utmost best to answer all your questions related to your doggy. Thank you for reading this post. Stay tuned with Jack Russell Owner for more interesting posts about your four-legged friend.

Author

  • Dominic Parker

    Dominic P. is a dog behavioral researcher who graduated from the University of Surrey and holds BVMsi (Hons) in Veterinary Medicine and Science. He has been around dogs since childhood and has unconditional love for dogs. It makes him become a researcher instead of practicing as a veterinarian. Dominic enjoys his work and likes to share his findings with dog parents to give them a better understanding of dogs’ behaviors.

Similar Posts