Camera Lenses and Other Threats to a Dog’s Safety

I was just going to get some casual shots of the BCs lying in the sun, when I noticed a trend. Here is the first photo:

Followed by the following two:

You can’t miss it, can you? No matter what I did, clicking or kissing or wiggling my fingers, Maggie wasn’t looking into the camera lens. And no wonder. There I was, kneeling at eye level, with this huge round black eye staring her straight in the eye. She’s much softer than Willie and easily intimidated, and that flat black eye shape was just too much for her.

I’ve seen this many times over the years, and always assumed it was about dogs perceiving camera lenses as another animal’s black, dilated pupils. Dilated pupils are signs of excitement, and we all know that direct stares can be intimidating. Dogs don’t have to believe a camera lens is really another dog’s eye any more than we believe a smiling face is a person – and yet we still react with our own smile.

Answers to “false eyes” have been of interest to ethologists for decades. Eyespots are seen on a wide range of animals, from frogs like the one below to butterflies and caterpillars. For your information, you can read more about function eye spots here.

Of course we’ll never really know how dogs perceive big black camera lenses, but keep in mind that many dogs don’t like to look directly into a camera lens. It’s actually not a bad tool for assessing a dog’s personality. Notice how Willie was perfectly happy staring straight into the lens in every photo, while Maggie, little Miss OhGodPleaseDon’tRaiseYourVoiceEvenIfYouAreHappy Dog, couldn’t bring herself to stare straight ahead. Keep this in mind when taking photos – I have found that many owners are unaware of how stressful photos can be for dogs and grow increasingly frustrated as their dog grows older. intimidated during a photo shoot.

And your dog? Unaware of lenses like Willie, or averse to lenses like Maggie?

Update, end of August 2022: Reading the above line about Maggie (“Don’t Raise Your Voice” Maggie) hit home this morning, given that Maggie has, for no apparent reason, decided that the backyard is the home of the monsters. Going out the locker room door to pee in the garden? “WHICH? WHAT? And take my life in my own hands? It turned into, last night, she didn’t want to come in through that door. “WHAT? WHAT? DID YOU NOT KNOW there are monsters living within the door frame?” I have a wild guess as to what started. Seems unlikely, but that’s all I have: Just before it started, Maggie and Skip encountered a toad on the bridge just outside the door. I was delighted to see this beautiful animal, they are so rare now. Skip was captivated but ready to run away like a frightened horse. Maggie also looked curious, but more fearful. I told the dogs to “leave” quietly, and we headed out to the grass. Maggie started her THIS WAY THERE ARE MONSTERS routine the next morning.

How could the toad explain it? Doubtful, but like I said, that’s all I have. Remember, he was the dog that scared Skip for a while, when his playstyle led us to nickname him with a word that I’m not sure you all wanted me to use here. First she was afraid to go up the hill with him, then afraid to go up the hill, at all. It took five months of classical conditioning to get her back on track. And, now, as you probably know, they’re blown away with love again, and Maggie can play Skip up the hill’s pants, and loves doing it. She was a little better this morning about the gate, so maybe it will all fade away. For your information, I don’t say anything to him, I just talk to Skip and ignore him. Trying to persuade her or gently encourage her feels like pressure, so I just pretend it’s okay. Seems to help some. I’ll let you know next week.

MEANWHILE, back at the farm: We just got back from a vacation in paradise in Michigan. Oooooo, I love what my sister calls “fat mornings,” where you lie in bed and read and drink tea all hours of the morning. And swimming in a silky, silvery lake at a friend’s gorgeous house, eating out, shopping at fun stores (who, besides food, ever shops at home?), visiting two groups of great friends and taking nice walks. Did I mention eating?

These are good friends Dave and Julie who welcomed us to Lake Wallon.

And here we are with Matt and Kelly Elvin of Tiptop Tails Trainingtwo fantastic dog trainers (with an awesome facility I might add) and wonderful friends we met years ago in Africa.

I hope there has been a lot of love in your life this week. Tell us about your dog and your camera lenses; I found that iPhones had a similar effect on many dogs. You?