Sweet doe and her wistful gaze

sullen · #1 10/07/06, 03:21 PM

What doea it mean when my new LaMancha doe, LuLu, looks me in the eye? I wonder because I know it's bad (threatening) for a dog to look you in the eye. (or you a dog) She does it so much, really sweet, does anyone know what she could be trying to say?

silvergirl · #2 10/07/06, 03:33 PM

My Sadie looks me in the eye, and nuzzles me for loves and treats... I don't imagine for one minute that she is doing anything but trying to make a deeper connection with me... Eye contact can be an expression or an indicator of dominance but not always - my dogs look me in the eye, as do my cats, and we all have very loving relationships - I don't think eye contact is necessarly a sign of hostility... with cats, though, if they slide their eyes to the side, it shows confidence and security, they are showing acceptance of the other cat (or person) as a non-hostile, or dismissing them as a hostile, depending on the situation! LOL
Silvergirl

TexCountryWoman · #3 10/07/06, 03:35 PM

No, it's not bad. Goats are loving and social animals. They are intelligent and do look you right in the eye to communicate. Take it as a sign of affection and scratch her head and rub her neck. They love you forever.

GoatLove · #4 10/07/06, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silvergirl

My Sadie looks me in the eye, and nuzzles me for loves and treats... I don't imagine for one minute that she is doing anything but trying to make a deeper connection with me... Eye contact can be an expression or an indicator of dominance but not always - my dogs look me in the eye, as do my cats, and we all have very loving relationships - I don't think eye contact is necessarly a sign of hostility... with cats, though, if they slide their eyes to the side, it shows confidence and security, they are showing acceptance of the other cat (or person) as a non-hostile, or dismissing them as a hostile, depending on the situation! LOL
Silvergirl

Well said

Jillis · #5 10/07/06, 09:20 PM

O have found my LaManchas and my Saanen do this the most. They are very affectionate and will hang around for loving even when I don't have a treat. My Nubian, the herd queen, does it in a little more challanging way. She loves my son though. She always rubs her head against him and follows him around.

Idahoe · #6 10/07/06, 09:35 PM

I think "eye contact/dominance" is more of a carnivore trait, and when herbivores make eye contact it could mean something very different. Probably something like "Ya got raisins Mom??"

lgslgs · #7 10/08/06, 08:10 AM

Our little ones really seem to discover the whole "looking in eyes" when they are about 6 months to a year old. One day they are doing goat baby stuff, and the next they notice human eyes and are trying to figure out exactly what's going on. When little Mable learned about eyes she also learned how to bat her big long black eyelashes at us. She was awfully cute! Molly did it a bit differently - she'd stare from further away and chew her cud quickly and very seriously and just gawk at us as she tried to process the idea of human eyes.

When they are first figuring eyes out they often have the oddest looks on their faces. They'll walk up, park themselves in front of you, and look both fascinated and a bit confused by it all.

As they mature more, they look at you with more understanding. Their mature eye looking seems much more like a herd bonding action and less like a means of investigating the world around them.

If I recall correctly, learning about connecting with human eyes happens a few months before the first day they make the connection that their name means "them".

Ours were really funny yesterday. They were all coming over to smell us chewing gum, and I think they were confused as to why my husband and I were chewing different flavored gum. They kept comparing the different smells of our "human cud". They did a bunch of bonding style eye-to-eye contact while they checked up on our cudding.

Goats are funny.

Lynda

Jillis · #8 10/08/06, 08:31 AM

I dunno about the 6 months part. This thread made me think of a little black and white Alpine doeling I brought home with 9 others. While they frolicked all over the van, she curled up on my lap, and stared soulfully into my eyes all the way home. She really bonded with me on that trip...

Idahoe...got raisins, mom...that was good!

Raftercat5 · #9 10/09/06, 03:19 PM

Hmm....so you all think they're staring into your eyes? My goat, after unlocking her head from the milking stand, puts her face so close to my face, we almost touch noses. I THINK she's trying to smell my breath to see if I stole any more of her animal cracker treats she gets after milking is done. She loves the smell of my toothpaste in the morning. I don't think she liked the onions smell on my hamburger for supper. Goats are funny, aren't they?
- Kathy

nduetime · #10 10/09/06, 03:25 PM

Sigh...Dont you just love them? they are the next best things to real kids. My goats do both the eye thing and the breath thing. I have two that are not happy at night until they kiss my cheek. Weird but that is just their thing. Good thing i did not find goats before my horses, I might have a different kind of stable going.

sullen · #11 10/09/06, 11:05 PM

OK guys thanks, I thought so but I just wanted to start another "aren't goats cool" thread.