Why Is My Dog Looking Out The Window? Answered With Hints

Why Is My Dog Looking Out The Window? Answered With Hints

Dogs are very close to people. You may notice that many people choose dogs as their pets. They are very loyal and lovely guardians, not only for you but also for your whole family. But, they have some behaviors that you will not understand.

Looking out the window is also a common habit among most of them but confusing to you. Therefore, I hope to come out with all the important information on looking out the window habit of dogs through this article. 

So, why is my dog looking out the window? There will be many reasons for this like; when he needs to go outside, he may have seen animals outside, there will be a problem inside the house or he may like the feeling. And, do not forget to be alert to any behavioral changes of your pet. So, you should also consider; how often the dog looks out the window when he sits by the window (the timing), and whether the dog looks out at night, limiting the potential disturbances inside the living space.

Also, it is better to encourage him in this practice as it will be a mind relaxing habit for them. But before encouraging, make sure to socialize him through; exposing the dog to various people, attending training, moving at the dog’s pace, creating a positive association, and so on. 

Accordingly, in this article, I have covered; why my dog is looking out the window, what you should consider here, and is it good to encourage him to this behavior.

Finally, I have provided you with some tips to socialize the dog well before encouraging him on this. Let’s get started!

Why is my dog looking out the window? 

We can see various behaviors within dogs that try to have the attention of their owners. Many dog owners say that dogs looking out the window are commonly seen among their pets, but they do not understand its real reason. So, I hope to discuss those reasons in more detail here. 

1. When need to go outside

When we are inside the home for a long time, we get bored and even depressed. So, it is the same for dogs. Today, most of the dogs are raised inside the house.

Therefore, they are likely to be bored and stressed when continuously inside it. So, they will look out of the window to hint that they need to go outside. 

2. He may have seen animals outside

This is also a common reason for this behavior of your pet. If the dog sees or even hears the sound of another dog or any other animal, it may look out the window.

There, it will need to go outside or show you that there is another animal outside of the house.  

3. There will be a problem inside the house

When there is a problematic issue inside the house, your dog will look out the window.

It may be a problem with its living space; maybe hot, lack of sunlight, or noise. So, alert on this if he continues this behavior after a change in the house. 

4. He may like the feeling

This also can be a reason for the behavior of your close friend. It may be like the wind that touches him and the scenery through the window.

Especially when its room is very hot, it may do this to prevent the tiredness caused due to the hotness inside. 

5. It will be protective

This can be seen commonly among the dogs that are living near the street. When it sees people and other animals outside, they tend to look out the window and even bark.

But they do not go outside, only barking from inside can be seen, and that is to ensure their protection while fulfilling their duty of protecting the house and the family. 

What should you take into consideration when your dog looks out the window? 

When you see your dog looking out the window, you have many things to consider.

Although many dog owners notice this behavior, they do not clearly understand what to consider here. So, I hope to talk about this with more information for your understanding. 

1. Consider how often the dog looks out the window

You should be alert whether your pet often looks out the window, and if not, when does he do so? Then you can understand the real reason behind its behaviors. Pay your attention to the very first moment that it showed this behavior.

And, if it looks out suddenly, it may be a hint of an animal on the outside. However, your attention is important to find the reason for it. 

2. When he sits by the window (the timing)

This will be confusing for you. But, it is important to find the reasons and solutions for these behaviors of your pet. As an example, see whether it is common during the daytime.

If it is so, your friend may observe the people. So, you can prevent this by keeping the dog in a calm and quiet room where it is unable to reach the sight of the people. It is good for both you and your pet.

3. Does the dog lookout at night

This is very common to many dogs because the environment is very calm and quiet at night. So, any sound or sight of animals can be visible here.

As the dog is inside, it will see them through the window, and most probably, your pet will love the scenery at night through the window. 

4. Limiting the potential disturbances inside the living space

If you want to reduce this behavior of your pet friend, you may pay attention to limiting the disturbances that make him act in that way.

As an example, you may provide it with a place with less noise, less cool or hot, and a place where it can’t see the people. 

5. Does he look out through the window when you leave the house?

If you notice that the dog only sees out through the window when you leave the house, the reason is clear. That may be because of separation anxiety or loneliness. 

Is it good to encourage this behavior?

Now we know the reasons for this behavior of dogs. So, what do you think? Is it good to encourage the dog to look out the window? We can’t give a direct answer here because; it depends on the owner and the dog.

Sometimes, it is good to encourage this behavior because; some dogs used to do it to release their boredom, anxiety, loneliness, etc. So, if you prevent it from doing this, it will be destructive.

Especially if your pet is always inside the house, they are surrounded by many barriers where they can’t enjoy the sun rising, sun setting, blooming of flowers, birds chirping, etc.

Accordingly, automatically they will be destructive. But, it can be reduced by a window sight. Therefore, I think it is better to encourage this behavior when there is a reason like that. 

Not only that, but it has also been found that the dogs who are used to this habit have more happiness and well-being than the other animals because; they enjoy nature and the people through their eyes.

You may see that it will be calm and quiet (after socializing well) even when you are not at home by enjoying nature.  

Remember that, although you are raising your dog as a household pet, it still has wild favors to engage with other animals, chase after them and enjoy the freedom of nature. So, you can help him to do that by encouraging this behavior. 

But suppose your pet barks at the animals and people outside by creating a big noise. In that case, it is better to socialize him well before encouraging this behavior. 

How to socialize your pet before encouraging him to look out the window?  

A dog looking out the window means; he likes to engage with the outside world. And also, sometimes, they will bark at people and animals by making a big noise here.

That is because the dog has not socialized well. Therefore, you have to help him. So, how can you do that? I will give you some practical tips to socialize your pet before encouraging it by looking out the window. 

1. Exposing the dog to various people

This means; you have to take the pet outside and let it see different people and interact with them. Show them people with beards, people who wear sunglasses, hats, etc.

If he does not interact with these people, no matter; you may let it catch all through the eyes. 

2. Continuous training

You also can give guidance for your friend to socialize well in a safe environment through this. Then it will get the chance to interact with other dogs and people, which will release its destructive behaviors after seeing them.

And remember that positive reinforcement is very important here. Therefore you have to choose a good trainer who uses rewarding methods. 

3. Moving at the dog’s pace

This gives the idea that; you should not flood or overwhelm the dog with new people and experiences at once.

Especially if your dog is older, you have to move at its pace. If not, the process will not be successful. 

4. Creating positive association

This is very effective. Here, you have to give a favorite treat to your pet whenever he sees another dog or a person at a distance.

The dog will be eager to meet people when you continue this, and dogs will have their reward. It will give him a positive message rather than being aggressive or destructive.

Then, it will not be noisy even when it sees a dog or a person when it is looking out the window.  

5. Make them familiar with various sounds and smells 

This will help your dog to get used to various sounds and smells. You can do this by going outside or even at home. Make your dog smell various smells like; deodorants, perfumes, suntan lotion, face cream, various food items, etc.

Accordingly, if he smells those things while it is near the window, it will not be surprising for the dog to make noises.

And do the same for sounds. Make it hear the sounds of footsteps, various vehicles, music, etc. Then, it will get used to them and will not make big noises. 

Final thoughts about the dog looking out the window  

We have discussed; why my dog is looking out the window with more details. I think this article will work out for all the dog owners as I have covered some important areas related to a common habit of many dogs as; why is my dog looking out the window, is it good to encourage this behavior, what you should consider here and finally, I have provided you with some tips to socialize your pet before encouraging it to look out the window. 

The dog is a close friend of people. So, most of them like to raise dogs as their pets. Anyway, they show various confusing behaviors for the owners, and looking out the window is one of them. But there will be many reasons for that like; needs to go outside, he may have seen animals outside, there will be a problem inside the house, etc.

So, you have to consider many things here, like; considering how often the dog looks out the window when it sits by the window (the timing), does the dog look out at night, and so on. And, as it relaxes your friend’s mind, it is better to encourage it. But, remember to socialize him well before encouraging him; if not, it will create more noise inside the house.

You can socialize him by; exposing the dog to various people, attending training classes, moving at the dog’s pace, creating a positive association, etc. Then, you will own a good and friendly pet as you expected.

Thank you for reading this post. I hope it answered your burning questions about your dog. Stay tuned with Jack Russell Owner for more interesting posts.

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.

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