Like looking down the barrel of a gun.

[mightyrebel]

I just wanted to ask if anyone else's Rott displays the following behavior, and if so, if anyone knows where it comes from, and why they do it, since I certainly didn't teach MINE this. My Rott, Rebel, is about 13 months now, and a little over 100 lbs...so although I'm used to it now, it can be a little disconcerting to others who make the mistake of napping on my couch in the den, etc. when groggy. Rebel, somewhere along the line (I guess I first noticed him doing this at about 4-5 months of age, but a little less pronounced.), decided that if someone is asleep when he'd rather they weren't, the best way to solve that dilemma is for him to silently approach the prone, sleeping body, and position his nose directly in front of the bridge of their nose, not 1/2 an inch away, right between their eyes, and then just silently stay there in that position until they wake and open they're eyes. You know the old saying about 'feeling like you're being watched'? Well, he NEVER makes a sound, though I do sometimes feel his breath coming out of his nose when he does it, and he'll just stand there holding that position indefinitely, until the victim awakes and invariably nearly jumps thru the roof they're so startled. As I'm sure you can imagine, it makes him look about the size of King Kong when you open your eyes, and there he is! My question is, where in the world did he acquire this behavior? WHY does he do it? He never follows it up with any type of intimidation or ugliness of any sort. He's the best natured dog in the world. But it is still very disconcerting to others, though it now just makes me laugh. I think it's one of the funniest looking things I've ever seen. It's just that growing up you always hear about never making eye contact with a dog that's staring you down, so it makes me curious as to why HE does it, and what it means. Just his own unique brand of wake-up call maybe? Sincerely, MightyRebel :) ;)

[Trinitii]

What a character you have there :) My Athena feels the need to come and kiss you periodically while your sleeping. I always think she does it to test that I am still alive. (i'm sure that is my human thinking and not dog thinking hehe)

Trinitii

[mijpa]

our boy does the samething that Trinitii's dog does lick the heck out of you to wake you up. your post had me laughing, i could just picture the persons face when he wakes up
:D

[babesmom]

Babe does this very thing and if you have the room on the bed she will jump up and lay there giving you this stare down. It is really wierd feeling. Then when you wake up she licks you until you can't take it any more. She has learned that if she breaths hard enough I wake up faster. :D

[Ilovemypuppy]

I think Rebel has discovered that he can get a rise out of people but putting his nose on them and he's having fun. Rotties do have a great sense of fun! Maggie likes to touch her nose to my eyes...of course I close them! She seems fascinated with my eyes. Living with a Rottie is an incredible experience.

[rspates]

Elsa does this all of the time. She could be busy with a toy and the second that anyone decides to lay down on the couch she is right there in your face. She also recently starting sleeping out of her crate and on a dog bed on our bedroom floor at night. Yesterday I awoke face to face with her...this morning she licked me in the face! Must be her cue for me to wake Ryan up to take her out.:D

Rachel

[TrishB]

A girlfriend of mine - her GSD, Apollo did this to me. He's a good 110lbs and definitely has a presence if you know what I mean.

I was sleeping on the couch and Apollo rested his muzzle on the pillow with his nose about a centimeter away from mine. I had the most uncomfortable feeling!!! I squinted open one eye and nearly hit the ceiling. He then proceeded to lick me (eyes, nose, inside my mouth, :p) like crazy!!

We figured out it's an attention getting technique that dogs learn. They know they're not allowed to make noise, they know they're not allowed to 'touch' a person when not invited to do so. This way - they're still eliciting attention, but they're not 'technically' breaking the rules! ;) You can’t tell them to not look at something now can you?? ;) :o

They're too smart for their own good!! hehehe :D But it's that same intelligence that makes me love a great working bred dog! :)

[mightyrebel]

Yeah, I think you're right. I was talking to my mother about it one day, and she made the exact same analogy. She said she thought it was just like when we were little kids (my brothers and I), and one of us would be pestering the other in the back seat of the car on a family trip. One would holler to mom that, "He won't stop touching me!", invariably followed by , "Stop touching your brother!", and finally the old finger resting in mid-air 1/2 an inch from little brother's nose, "I'm not TOUCHING anyone. See?" (Which was then generally followed by dad blindly groping over the front seat to the back hollering, "Alright! That's it! Give me some heads! I want some heads!", followed by the old crack on top of the skull with his class ring. lol!) If that IS the case, then these dogs really MAY be too smart for their own good. If Rebel really is smart enough to make a call like that on his own, I'm almost afraid to see what else he'll come up with. Sincerely, MightyRebel :) :p ;)

[anna&jacksmom]

These dogs are definately too smart for their own good. Anna and Jack are partners in crime when there is an objective. I can actually see plans cooking in their doggy minds.

Anna destracts me by doing something she never normaly does, Jack jumps on the counter and get the chicken and they Share! Anna would not normally share anything. Too bad for them I caught on to that one.

[Bucky's Mom]

Bucky knows that if I am asleep (eyes closed - rolled on side) he is supposed to lay down and let me be - BUT - if I happen to crack open one eye (BARELY) to check the clock or I have the nerve to roll over on my back- he is then within "his rights" to start the day (LOL) - I think he watches REAL close so I can't cheat and wake up without him knowing it - I know this is human thinking, but sometimes............Lisa (Bucky's Mom)

[myandromeda]

Originally posted by Bucky's Mom
BUT - if I happen to crack open one eye (BARELY) to check the clock or I have the nerve to roll over on my back- he is then within "his rights" to start the day (LOL)

Crichton and D'Argo are the same way! I've had to put the clock closer to the bed, so that I can keep my head covered and look at the time, otherwise they will go crazy... "She's awake!" :D Silly dogs!

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally posted by myandromeda


Crichton and D'Argo are the same way! I've had to put the clock closer to the bed, so that I can keep my head covered and look at the time, otherwise they will go crazy... "She's awake!" :D Silly dogs!

Silly people (LOLOL) - Lisa (Bucky's Mom)

[gparcels]

My male rottie drives me nuts, I can be sound asleep in the middle of the night and he will just come up and sit in front of me moving closer and closer to my face until I wake up, he does not want to go out, he just wants to be pet and then he lays down and goes back to sleep, maybe he is checking on me I don't know.. but its a little weird waking up to that big block head right at you nose.

[bwholagan]

Angel used to do that to me all the time when he was younger. He just couldn't wait for me to wake up. He would would sit there for an hour or more before he just couldn't take it anymore and eventually would bark. He stopped doing right after he turned 2.

And I completely agree they are to smart for their own good. But I like em that way.

Brian

[Darseeuh]

My dog Pookie does the same thing. & When its early morning and he has to go out to take care of business, if I don't wake up fast enough with just the staring then he will proceed to put his cold wet nose on my forehead or between the eyes. And if I try & turn over & ignore him then he goes for the shock value of sticking his nose under the warm covers and getting a nice warm spot on me with his cold nose that always works I don't think he's ever done it to someone he doesn't know/like though.