Interesting points. I haven’t been threatened by a dog in a long time, but I don’t know about looking away. I’m not comfortable with taking my eyes of something trying to get at me.
I’ll take that under consideration. I think I trust your judgement.
To a dog, a direct stare is an invitation to fight.
You can turn your head forward but you can still see the dog with your peripheral vision.
Watch two strange dogs meeting for the first time.
-Neither- looks the other in the eye.
It’s “rude” and considered an aggressive act to do so.
They stand side by side sniffing, averting gazes until one of them makes the first friendly overture of a “play bow” or lowered tail wag.
If one dog seems intent to lock eyes with the other, that is the dog who is about to start some crap.
*Most* dogs understand all this quite perfectly and universally.
Their subtle body language speaks absolute volumes to anyone who understands it.
Some, like Pits, have that normal behavior “trained out of them” so they can be ‘good fighters’.
[a thousand plagues and poxes upon those who would so pervert the dogs’ normal natures]
Other dogs [most notably small toy breeds who are “babied”] are so poorly pack-socialized that they don’t even “speak dog” any more.
I dread those the most but feel sorry for them, too.
They’re frequently neurotic and miserable.