Why Does My Dog Wink At Me?

If your dog winks at you excessively, this in-depth guide will show you possible reasons why do they wink, when you should be worried, and what you can do about it.

So, why does my dog wink at me, and what he is trying to tell me? They wink intentionally or unintentionally, depending on the situation.

Their winking can be cute and innocuous; it may also indicate medical problems with his eyes. The most likely reason for them winking at you is that they are obedient and respectful.

They may also wink at you to show their cheerfulness, love, or to get your attention. Some mutts rapidly wink when they are deeply immersed in an activity that they love performing.

They are several reasons why your doggie winks at you a lot with one or both eyes, and it might be due to a mixture of them.

However, there are a few things you can do to find out the root cause of this behavior, and there are some things you can do to prevent it.

Why Does My Dog Wink At Me — why does my dog wink at me

What Is Meant By Wink?

It is a cute facial expression where dogs keep one eye open and the other one close. They wink to show care, happiness, and for many other reasons or purposes.

They wink at you for a number of reasons that are as follows:

1. They Are Copying You

When your hound winks, he may be trying to imitate your behavior.

They are extremely smart and can begin to copy your behavior the more you are around them.

It begins with things that you may not pay attention to, such as eating when you eat, sleeping when you sleep, getting sad or happy when you are sad or happy.

If you wink, they can also copy your behavior and repeat it back to you. This behavior can be favorable when teaching new behaviors in canines.

2. They Are Just Blinking

Another likely reason for winking is that he may be just blinking to cleanse and moisten his eyes.

It is a natural behavior, and he may continue to blink even when he is not looking at you.

3. They Are Trying To Get Your Attention

As we mentioned earlier, the mutts are highly intelligent. If he receives a response from you for winking at you and he likes that response, he may purposefully try that same motion again and again to get more of your reaction or attention.

4. Health Problems

Winking is also linked with health problems.

Sometimes, they wink or blink their one eye because of irritation, which can be from a poke or scratch or physical elements such as hair or dirt or chemical such as an air freshener was sprayed and got into his eyes.

It does not matter what the reason for irritation is, your furry baby will wink or constantly close his eyes.

Sometimes, you will also notice that he is scratching and rubbing his eyes on things like a rug or sofa.

Another eye problem that they may be suffering from is entropion, which is more in brachycephalic dog breeds such as Pugs, Boston terriers, and French bulldogs.

In this condition, his upper or lower eyelid clasps or tosses itself in the inner side. It rolls the eyelid’s small hairs right onto the eye’s surface. It can be very uncomfortable and problematic and a serious eye issue.

If your dog is winking at you excessively and is also very uncomfortable, take him to the vet for a detailed examination as soon as possible to give him some relief and to begin resolving the issue before it becomes worse and damages the eyes.

Moreover, they can blink due to blepharospasm, the spasm of the eyelid itself. This twitching-like movement looks like a wink sometimes.

5. They Are Being Respectful

Dogs’ staring is a sign of aggression and authority. However, if he looks at you for a long time, he may feel like you are threatening or he is threatening.

By winking and blinking, he may want to show that he is not being aggressive and, actually, he is being respectful.

Can I Train My Dog To Wink At Me?

If you love his winking behavior and want to make it happen frequently or on instruction, then there are numerous techniques to teach him this behavior.

You can accomplish this goal by using behavioral shaping training.

The ultimate goal of dogs is to make their owners feel happy, and this training encourages them to behave in the desired way.

While training your mutt, you must understand this concept. The more you know how to shape his behavior, the easier it will be for you to teach him.

In this training, you use several steps to teach him a new behavior. You can break it down into smaller steps to boost the learning process and eliminate the frustration from the training.

Here are the three fundamental elements of behavioral shaping training:

Differential Reinforcement

Differential reinforcement makes this training very effective. Every time your hound does a certain behavior with a wink, you reward him with food, toy, or love.

You can determine if this technique is working as the dog will carry on winking at you and more often.

Target Behavior

The target behavior is your definitive goal, which is teaching him to wink at you. It is the exact behavior that you want your pooch to embrace.

To achieve this, you have to first figure out what that, in reality, seems like. You have to determine what do you want your four-legged friend to do, when do you want him to do that, and what will be the sign for him to initiate the desired behavior.

Consecutive Approximations

They are the small achievable steps you will utilize to achieve your target behavior.

Rather than training him to wink at you with one eye in one big step, you will begin by giving rewards such as a treat, toy, or praise for approximations of the desired behavior.

Every stage takes you nearer to the target behavior. Many people think that this training solution takes a long time to teach them to wink at you, but in reality, they learn the target behavior with this method very quickly because the communication is clear.

What Should You Do If Your Dog Winks At You?

Avoid Threatening Him

As we mentioned earlier, they sometimes wink at you because they are being submissive. If he hides from you, it means he is being frightened of you.

In such a situation, you should avoid threatening him by not looking at him for a long time with anger in your eyes. If he has been being very nervous, you must consult with a vet.

Allow Him To Wink At You

If your dog is not winking at you due to health problems and wants to show his happiness, excitement, affection, or want something from you, then you should allow him to continue this behavior.

Take Him To The Vet

If you think that your pooch winks at you due to an underlying health problem or he has been blinking his eyes excessively, then you should take him to the vet for a thorough examination.

The vet will give you expert advice personalized for your particular mutt and tell you how to deal with the issue.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why Does My Dog Wink A Lot?

Some conditions that can trigger winking can be tremendously uncomfortable, and if you won’t get them treated by the vet at the right time, they could lead to serious eye issues and other diseases in his entire body. If you observe the winks or blink a lot or have red eyes, you should talk to the vet as soon as possible to get further help on what you should do next.

2. Why Does My Dog Wink With One Eye?

With one eye, they wink, and with two eyes, they blink. They wink with one eye for several reasons, including excitement, respectfulness, happiness, etc.

3. Why Does My Hound Wink Back At Me?

If your mutt winks back at you, the odds are that he has learned to imitate your behavior to receive rewards such as a treat or toy and to get you to accept this behavior.

4. Why Do Dogs Wink And Stare?

If your little one winks and stares at you, the possibility is that he is winking to break the stare and to avoid looking intimidating.

Conclusion

Understanding your dog’s physical gestures is beneficial for health and behavioral reasons.

Knowing the reasons why does my dog wink at me can not only satisfy your curiosity but can also encapsulate the loving bond between you and your beast.

By winking their eyes, they reveal what they are feeling and what they want from you.

So, accept it and encourage it because most of the time, they blink their eyes to make you feel happy and be with you.