Ken Griffiths Dog Behaviourist

Understanding your dog's eyes.

One of the most misunderstood eye positions is what the dog training world calls 'whale eye'. Dog owners have been so misinformed by the bcspca and their self certified dog trainers about whale eye that many people think that when they see any white in their dogs eyes, their dog has whale eye and their dog is 'stressed. This is absolutely false.

Whale eye is ONLY when your dog's eyes are open as wide as they can be so that when your dog looks straight ahead, you see white all the way around the eye. This eye position indicates your dog is in level 10 of alert/concerned. We never want our dog to have whale eyes because we never want our dog to be that alert or stressed. If you ONLY see white on one side of the eye as your dog looks up or down, or sideways, your dog DOES NOT have whale eye and your dog is NOT 'stressed'.

When your dog's eyes are open half way, that is the calm and relaxed eye. This is the eye position we want to see whenever our dog is resting or relaxing. If your dog is laying down and their eye is open full, making a complete circle around the iris, with no white showing when your dog is looking forward, your dog is in an alert state of mind, and not necessarily 'stressed'. Most of the time when your dog looks at you with their eyes open full they are asking, What do I do?, or What are we doing? It does not necessarily mean your dog is stressed. They may be calm laying down, but they are not relaxed. When the eye is open ¾, where the upper eye lid partially covers the iris, your dog is in a semi alert state of mind and they are Not stressed. When your dog has become a Buddhist Monk of calm and relaxed, their eye will be open ¼, like my old boy Jake's eyes are most of the time. For most dogs, the ¼ open eye means they are about to go to sleep.

Whenever you feel your dog is unsure, nervous, concerned, or 'stressed', all you have to do is get their focus and lick their neck. Do Not talk to your dog. Do Not look them in they eye, close and soften your eyes when you look at them. Do Not try to pet them on their head, Do Not try to force them to take a treat. Just be the calm, quiet, confident, protective, and affectionate energy your dog needs in that moment to know they are safe and protected. Once their eyes become ½ open, ¼ open, or closed, your dog is no longer alert, unsure, nervous, concerned, or 'stressed'. They are calm and relaxed.



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Licking the neck is the basis of the Mother Dog relationship with your dog.

It is the physical expression of love.

It is gratitude for doing well.

It is consoling to calm a nervous or concerned mind.

It is recall.

It is how a Mother Dog teaches her puppies to regulate their nervous system and emotions. It is how she teaches them the peace of the calm and relaxed mind.

Soft, gentle, loving affection the way a Mother Dog does it. That is why the licking of the neck is such a powerful touch. Do it often.

Treats build a respect relationship between the dog and the treat.

Licking the neck creates a trust and respect relationship between the dog and you.



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A tutorial on how to clean and put drops in your dog's eye, featuring Gus.



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