looking directly into an animals eyes is generally a no-no. it is a hierarchy thing, a challenge. if they feel subordinate, they will lower their eyes, if not, then you are in for trouble. if they feel sudordinate and you persist, they get very uncomfortable.
i overrode this with my dog shah, and he of course came to expect unusual things from me. i used to use the eye-to-eye awakening/entrancing technique with him. he responded very well once he realised it wasn't the usual animal thing going on.