staring in her eyes

Question
My German shepherd mix is a female and approaching being 1 years old. Ever since we got her from the animal shelter(when she was about 10 or 11 weeks old) she has always let me stare into her eyes. i know that that isn't normal behavior for dogs and i was slightly hesitant to stare at her at first. Over the months though i found out that it didn't bother her at all. No growling, backing away, aggressive behavior, nothing at all. Why is that? Should i not do that or does it not matter. I found it somewhat strange and kind of wondered about it.

Answer
Accepting eye contact is one of the things the assistance dog school we have raised puppies for expects us to teach the puppies.  ''Teaching the puppy eye contact is the beginning of teaching your puppy to focus on you.  It is the foundation of all future behaviors you will teach your puppy.''  We had raised puppies for a dog guide school for a long time, and it is not surprising they neglect eye contact.  Many of the people with assistance dogs are not able to use common ways to control their dog, and rely heavily on eye contact.  

It is a form of dominance, and some dogs find it a challenge.  If you look away, you are submitting to the dog and yielding leadership to it.  Your dog should accept your eye contact, but be careful challenging other dogs that way.