Is there any legitimate reason for a dog trainer to say don't make eye contact with a dog in a class setting? Isn't this telling the dog he is in control?

 Quote: Mary Hayes

Is there any legitimate reason for a dog trainer to say don't make eye contact with a dog in a class setting? Isn't this telling the dog he is in control?

Your dog or someone else's dog?

Someone else's dog.

Very legitimate reasons: You could be distracting the other person's dog at best, and challenging him at worst.

The other person is probably striving to establish a strong connection with his own dog and to keep his dog's focus. Your eye contact with the other dog would range from a minor but unwanted distraction to, as mentioned, a challenge ... very inappropriate and a good thing for the trainer to make clear (to everyone).


JMO.

Isn't there opportunity to ask the trainer questions about his instructions, maybe before or after a class or during a Q&A time?

With my dogs, if you give Toni or Caterina eye contact and you don't know them, they will be more likely to feel threatened and take a shot at you. In a chaotic setting, like a class with different dogs and owners, I can imagine that this reaction would be stronger.

As you get further along in your class, you will find less and less opportunity to be looking at other dogs anyway. The first few classes are always a little hectic, but once you get your working relationship with your dog going, that's where all of your focus will be. I find that I don't even look at the instructor anymore.

The trainer's motive is not related to usurping the dog owner's connection to his own dog, rather, that the dog in question, a Cane Corso, shouldn't be challenged. However, in my opinion, the dog should be stable enough to be 'looked at' by another person. If not,they should be in private training, and ...challenging the dog??who's in charge here..owner/handler or the dog?

If you knew the trainer's reason was to not challenge the dog, then why did you ask? It IS a legit reason.

My dogs are safe with me, and they have taken SEVERAL classes, including many that are off leash. BUT that doesn't mean that they can't feel threatened if a stranger is staring into their eyes.

Being looked at is completely different than looking into their eyes. Have you ever felt self conscious if someone is staring at you? Imagine that feeling in a chaotic room with strangers and not being able to get away.

Feeling threatened or challenged has nothing to do with the dog's "stability" and ability to attend a class. MANY working line breeds have this "suspicious" nature built in. That's why many of us love them. I would assume that if I ask you not to look into my dog's eyes that you would comply and not challenge my knowledge of my dog and her behavior. If not, however, I can read my dog and can tell if she is uncomfortable around certain people, and I would just move to another part of the room.

I am impressed that the instructor actually asked that people avoid eye contact with the dog. You should NEVER look into a strange dogs eyes, in class or not.

 Quote: Kelly

... It IS a legit reason. .... I am impressed that the instructor actually asked that people avoid eye contact with the dog. You should NEVER look into a strange dogs eyes, in class or not.

Whether it was the Cane Corso or any other dog in the class, and, as Kelly says, whether it's in a class or not, it's plain old strange-dog etiquette.

Of course, someone has to tell us this if we're new to it, and like Kelly, I am impressed that the trainer had the foresight to do so.

It can make for problems from one end of the scale to the other: triggering an aggressive reaction to a perceived challenge, or causing anxiety in a timid dog who perceives a threat.

People making eye contact/staring at my dogs is perhaps my biggest pet peeve, especially when I flat out ask people not too. There are many people that are on Kira's "I don't like you, but I guess I will tolerate you because that's what I am trained to do" list because they have insisted on staring at her upon meeting.

I personally don't think this is an issue of "stable" vs. "unstable"...is a super bad idea IMHO.

In addition to Kelly's GREAT response, there is a strong a likelihood that the dog is there for it to get over its suspicions.

If you take a nervous dog to a class setting that is controlled (ie NOT a general public setting like a busy pet store where the owner has zero control of the surroundings...) and allow the dog to have many positive scenarios with strangers that don't threaten/stare/intimidate can help a dog get over the uncomfortable reaction.

To put it another way, if I want my dog to get over the urge to chase and attack running cats, I DON'T put him in a room with 50 freaking out, running in every direction, skitzo kitties. I control his encounters by exposing him to kitties that are under control and then slowly up my expectations. First a calm kitty in a crate, then a super calm kitty hanging out on a couch, then a super calm kitty that is walking normally (not running), etc. You get the idea.

Or maybe a more apt analogy; you don't take a dog that is freaked out over cars to a five lane freeway to get over it. You get them used to on car that is not moving first, and slowly up the freak out factor as the dog shows comfortable behaviors.

Despite what Caesar says (and he is brilliant at most things dog) most dogs don't get over issues with flooding. Some do, but most don't, and all dogs can be helped by conditioning to some degree.

If you are uncomfortable being in a class with this dog and owner, then join another class. Seems pretty simple. But by being angry and disregarding/resenting the trainers request you could be making things worse for the dog and owner. Not nice...