If you’re the new owner of a Border Collie, or even a Border Collie mix, then you’ve likely noticed that your pup will just sit and stare at you for a really long time.
My brother has a Border Collie mix and I was so freaked out when this happened to me!
Want to know why Border Collies stare so much?
It’s because it’s in their DNA – they stare at you in an attempt to get you to do something!
Keep reading and I’ll give you more of an explanation on the Border Collie staring problem.
The Reason For The Border Collie Stare
As you may know, Border Collies were originally bred to be working dogs doing things like herding sheep and other animals.
This super intelligent breed is known for using their eyes as a way to communicate, which is how they’ve historically herded sheep.
What’s crazy is that the stare from a Border Collie is so freaking intense that is really does work to control an entire herd of cattle or sheep.
When a Border Collie gives the eye to a herd of animals, it truly intimidates them into submission.
Basically that stare is completely genetic and the Border Collie’s way of trying to force you (or a group of animals) to do something that the dog wants from you (or the herd of animals).
The Border Collie Crouch And Stare
Along with the stare, another thing I’ve noticed that Border Collies do is crouch down and stare at you.
This is a bit unnerving the first time you experience it because you don’t know what’s about to happen.
But, if you’ve ever seen any of this breed in action herding sheep, then you already know why they do this.
The Border Collie crouch and stare is a way to intimidate and then force you to do something – this is exactly what they do when herding a large group of animals.
What this does is mimic the stalking patterns of wolves, which herds of animals know all too well as a sign that they are about to be attacked as prey.
But the truth is that there is no reason for you to be intimated as a human because Border Collies are gentle dogs that mean you no harm – just know that the dog REALLY wants you to do something when you see the crouch and stare.
However, what’s great about this behavior is that it makes the Border Collie a great watchdog for the family.
Other Reasons Border Collies Stare At You
In my experience, Border Collies often give you the stare, or glaring eye, when the dog wants you to play with it.
And they never get tired of playing, right?
That’s because Border Collies are have been bred to work throughout history and in today’s modern society they just need a lot of stimulation.
Usually what happens is that you’re sitting down somewhere and your Border Collie comes up to you with a toy in her mouth and drops it either in your lap or your at your feet.
And then, she will obediently sit in front of you and just stare you down until you pick up that toy and toss it for her to retrieve.
When you do that, the whole scenario just repeats itself over and over.
And let me tell you, if you sit there long enough with your Border Collie giving to the strong stare down, it really starts to feel like she is glaring at you!
In my house, we refer to this as getting from our Border Collie The Eye because it is so intense of a stare down.
Another reason you’ll get The Eye from your Border Collie is that he wants some of that food off your plate.
In my experience, the dog will just sit and stare at you the ENTIRE time that you’re eating in an attempt to force you to give up some of that food on your plate.
But be careful what human food you share with your Border Collie because they do seem to have a sensitive tummy, in my experience.
Is Your Border Collie Staring Too Much? How To Stop It
Do you feel like your Border Collie is spending way too much time giving everyone in your family the Border Collie stare down?
There are a few reasons that this may happen, with the primary cause being that you’re not giving the dog enough stimulation.
Border Collies are not ideal for the dog owner who wants to be lazy on the couch and never really playing with the dog.
Give your Border Collie regular exercise and lots of play time to keep the dog stimulated and reduce the stares.
Border Collies also love dog toys, so be sure to keep plenty of those in the house for your doggo to play with when you’re busy.
It’s also possible that your Border Collie just needs a bit of training in order to better socialize with humans.
These are highly intelligent dogs, so you likely will only need a few sessions with a dog trainer to get the results that you desire.
Final Word
As you can see, there is a perfectly normal explanation for why your Border Collie has such a staring problem.
The truth is that the stare is not really a problem at all, but something that this breed does to try to get people (and animals) to do what the Border Collie wants them to do.
While the Border Collie stare may seem intimidating, this is gentle dog breed and not typically a sign of aggression.
It’s really just your Border Collie’s way of trying to manipulate you into doing what the dog wants you to do.