Can dogs roll their eyes?

Can dogs roll their eyes? 

I’m supposed to be writing on the benefits of exercise, instead I’m contemplating the question “can dog’s roll their eyes?”.  

During February I tested out a new exercise routine. Even though last year’s routine was awesome for my bike fitness, I just can’t fit it into my schedule this year.  

So, my new routine sees me riding less often and walking the dogs more often. We currently have two dogs, our Dalmatian cross puppy Tuxe and Charlie the 10+ year old Border Collie we’re looking after for a few of months. In dog years Tuxe is a 5-year-old boy and acts like it. Charlie is a spritely 80-year-old, although he acts like a grumpy old man at times. Despite the age difference the two dogs have become great friends, enjoy each other’s company and love to wrestle and play. It was sheer coincidence and good luck that Charlie came to stay with us on the same weekend we adopted Tuxe into our home. Charlie has become a canine mentor to Tuxe.  

Deciding to cut two rides a week from my exercise routine has forced me to contemplate when, why, how, and who I ride with and what I value most from my exercise. At first, the most pressing concern was how do I maintain or improve my fitness while doing less exercise? Going from 5-6 sessions down to 3-4 per week. The answer, make the sessions harder. I’m looking for the Goldilocks amount of fatigue and adaptation from training. This approach can be precarious. If I exercise too hard for too long and I push my sympathetic nervous system too far, I’ll become fatigued and vulnerable to illness thanks to a weakened immune system. If I get my exercise/recovery ratio just right, I’ll be fine.  

Next dilemma, which rides do I cut from my routine. Option 1; I go full “type A, Pro-Amateur, time crunched athlete mode “and ride solo, nail all my intervals exactly, follow my training plan to the letter and win races this year? Or option 2; keep my group training rides with my friends and my son Ethan and have fun riding and racing my bike. I doubled down on option 2.  

You see, while I was walking Tuxe and Charlie instead of riding my bike I had time to think about the value of exercise. Not just the personal achievements and physical improvements. The intangible benefits of exercising with friends or a team. 

·         Accountability and motivation- I wake up at 4am knowing my teammates will be there ready to go.  

·         Competition – its friendly and fun, but I still want to get there first. We push each other harder.  

·         Friendship – we can suffer through the workout together, then we can have a laugh after. 

·         Mentorship – Sometimes people come into your sphere for a short time and change your life. There’s nothing like high intensity interval training to break down barriers and make fast friends. The group fitness setting can really broaden your social circle. 

If you follow us on Facebook or Instagram, you may have seen a video of my teenage son Ethan teaching my 5-year-old son Hugo to ride his bike? 13 years ago, when I was teaching Ethan to ride, I never would have imagined he would be doing the same for his little brother. Ethan is a great mentor for his little brother. 

So why was I thinking about whether dogs can roll their eyes? Recently Hugo has learned to roll his eyes thanks mostly to observing his teenage brothers who have become masters at eye rolling. Can I use my iPad Dad, says Hugo? No, it’s a school day…que overly dramatised eye rolling! This is a less desirable mentorship outcome. Thanks Ethan! 

A quick google search (approximately 4 hours over 2 sessions) was inconclusive. I am sure dogs have the physical ability to roll their eyes. However, I think dogs must be far more tolerant of each other than we humans are. If Tuxe the puppy dog was going to roll his eyes he’d do it every time Charlie, the grumpy old Border Collie disappears into the peaceful dark corner behind my old motorbike where puppy dogs can’t play with him.  

So, I didn’t find any research on dogs rolling their eyes, but I did find some interesting scientific journal articles on the neurophysiology of eye movements for reprocessing emotions as a therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the neurophysiology of human touch and gaze in a therapeutic setting. Links below if you’re interested.   

I digress, back to exercise for a minute. It’s undeniably good for my physical, mental, social, and emotional wellbeing and just that much more fun when you can do it with family and friends. I track my fitness closely, so it’ll be interesting to see how this year’s training compares to last year. Now to explain to a five year old why he shouldn’t roll his eyes at his prep teacher! 

DEMONSTRATION: How Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing works - Bing video 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy (apa.org) 

Eye-Movement Intervention Enhances Extinction via Amygdala Deactivation - PMC (nih.gov) 

Neurophysiology of human touch and eye gaze in therapeutic r... : JBI Evidence Synthesis (lww.com)