Vanessa Woods, Author of the Genius of Dogs answered this month’s question-

Your dog’s stare can be so hypnotic, it might seem as though she is trying “jedi mind tricks”. But probably more likely is that she is getting a fix of oxytocin.

Oxytocin is a peculiar little molecule. It is known as the ‘hug hormone’ because it is what makes you feel good when you are touched by a loved one, get a massage, or enjoy a good meal. Oxytocin has pain relieving properties and can also decrease stress and blood pressure.

We humans experience oxytocin in many of our social relationships, including bonding with our children or partners. What is surprising is that we would also experience a change in this hormone when bonding with a completely different species.

In a study with 55 dogs from Azabu University in Japan, people whose dogs gazed at them for longer showed a higher increase in oxytocin than people whose dogs gazed at them for a short amount of time. A ‘long gaze’ was defined by the 23% of dogs who stared at their owner for around two minutes or longer. Not only that, but people with dogs with a ‘long gaze’ reported being happier with their dogs than those whose dogs gaze was only around a minute long.

Recent research also suggests that this peak in oxytocin levels may be happening on both ends of the stare. When oxytocin levels were monitored dogs they too experienced a rise in the “hug hormone”. So while your dog may not be using hypnotic suggestion, she may be suggesting that if she could, she would hug you.