Why does my dog keep looking up?
There are several reasons why your dog may keep looking up. Often, it’s because they’ve found something interesting in the air or the sky. However, it can be a sign of something more serious.
If dogs hear a noise above their head, their curious nature demands they investigate it. While they don’t see colors the way humans do, they are excellent at picking up motion. It’s possible that they are watching something that’s difficult to see. Even if they don’t see anything, they may keep looking up just in case something appears.
Dogs experience emotions. They don’t have complex emotions like anger and blame that people do. However, your dog can certainly be annoyed or upset with you.
Some dogs will literally “turn their nose up into the air” as a way to show their displeasure. It’s a haughty gesture that can be quite amusing to watch.
Some dogs may even do this when they are in trouble. In this case, it’s often accompanied by them turning their head to ignore you or feign innocence.
Some dogs seem to view insects as a source of fascination or even a toy. Dogs can catch flies and even wasps with surprising agility. If your dog is looking up and there are insects flying around, it’s probably planning its attack.
Partial seizures cause a partial loss of consciousness. Your dog will seem to zone out and stare blankly. Their eyes may rotate upward, and they may lose consciousness briefly.
These seizures differ from full seizures, which cause convulsions and often a significant loss of consciousness. Partial seizures are milder, but should still be evaluated by a vet. Conditions including epilepsy and cancer, both of which require prompt treatment can cause them.
When a dog has CDS, they will stay in one place for hours at a time. It’s essentially the canine version of Alzheimer’s. Like Alzheimer’s, the condition is becoming more common. It affects about 14% of dogs 8 and over, and 28% of dogs 11 and over.
CDS causes damage in the brain and declining cognitive function. Disorientation is one sign. This means your dog may roam around the home with no purpose or direction, or may stare at a wall or look up.
They may also have changes in the way they interact with people, changes in sleep habits, and difficulty with house training.
Why Do Dogs Look Up At The Sky?
When it comes to dogs looking up at the sky, the most likely explanations are that they see something, hear something or smell something. Dogs may be reacting to birds, planes, and even stars! Medical causes could be at play too so look at your dog’s overall behavior to figure out the cause.
While dogs may not be able to see as much as we can, the anatomy of their eye tells us that most dogs can actually see stars better than we can. That doesn’t mean your dog will find the constellations interesting but it does go to show that dogs have a pretty good grasp of what’s going on in the night sky which means helicopters and planes could catch their eye as well.
Of course, during the day dogs will be interested in the occasional flying critter and some dogs will be more perceptive than others.
Possible Reasons Why Dogs Can’t Look Up
Dogs have a different anatomy than humans. Their spine structure means that they are unable to move their heads as freely as humans.
Older dogs may have a harder time looking up than younger dogs because their muscles and joints have started to wear down.
If a dog has a neck injury, he may not be able to move his head as freely as he normally would. Neck pain such as arthritis can also cause dogs to have a harder time looking up.
Dogs that have a physical disability or a joint or muscle disorder may find it more difficult to look up than other dogs.
It can be helpful to work with your dog’s veterinarian if you notice any signs of pain, stiffness, or lack of mobility when your dog tries to look up. This will help you to determine if there is an underlying medical condition causing your dog’s difficulty in looking up.
Any spinal injury, such as a herniated disc, can also cause a dog to have difficulty looking up.
Why Is My Dog Sniffing the Air and Looking Up?
This myth was popularized by Shaun of the Dead (2004), a comedy-horror flick. In the cult film, Shaun said that Big Al says dogs can’t look up.
Although the film is meant to be a joke, the internet took root. Each month, thousands search the internet for answers to this question.
We don’t know how it happened, but people starting to reference the movie became curious about the actual question. Can dogs look up? Because the real truth is somewhat mixed, this question has been re-asked over and over.
So is there any truth that dogs can look up or is it a myth? Why do people seem to think that dogs can’t look up? Are there any reasons why dogs can’t look up?