Man’s best friend does a lot of endearing and adorable things. However, very few rival the cute head tilt. It is very entertaining to watch your pooch lift its head up slightly to one side and it is often very difficult to resist showering them with gifts and praises. There are many reasons your canine tilts its head other than the fact that it is cute.
One of the most common reasons your dog tilts its head is to see better. Expert study analyzed how the snout of your furry friends can hinder depth perception which is why your four-legged furry friends tilt their heads. Your dog may also tilt its head as a sign of empathy or in order to hear better. Here are other reasons your furry friend does the cute head tilt that you love.
7. Humans Do It
Dogs are very intelligent animals and it is possible that they have associated head tilting with their human counterparts.
Humans tilt their heads when they are trying to listen better or to show that they are paying attention to you.
Dogs have finely adjusted psychological senses and it is one of the many attributes that make the perfect four-legged companions.
6. Sign Of Expectations
Dogs have the ability to discern certain parts of the human language. They tilt their heads in order to listen for particular phrases or words they are used to.
When they hear these words, they expect them to be accompanied by certain actions they have associated with these trigger words.
Your canine friend perks up its ears and tilts its head to pick out words like its name or commands you have trained it to follow.
5. Sign Of Sickness
When your dog starts tilting its head constantly or excessively, it may be a sign that there is something wrong with them.
Vestibular disease or ear problems can lead to excessive head tilting. It can also be followed by a loss of balance or disorientation.
If your dog tilts its head more frequently than appears normal, it may be time to contact your vet for help.
4. They Hear New Sounds
One of the most common reasons your dog tilts its head is when they hear a new sound they are not accustomed to.
Thereafter, dogs don’t tilt their heads to sounds they’ve heard repeatedly and subsequently. Dogs often tilt their heads in order to investigate noises they are unfamiliar with.
However, dogs do tilt their heads to trigger words or commands, such as ‘walk’ and ‘sit’ they are used to.
3. Sign Of Empathy
Dogs have mastered the art of reading human emotions and they are believed to be the only animals that can do this.
By tilting their head, dogs can better assess human emotions by measuring the level and tone of their human.
A head tilt from your doggie is a sign that your dog understands you. You can liken it to a supporting nod from a friend, except this friend walks on four legs, has a cuter nod and is ready to do all for you.
2. To Hear Better
Dogs can hear sounds better than we do. They can also hear frequencies we can’t.
They are however unable to pinpoint exactly where these sounds come from. When your dog tilts its head, it is either trying to determine the precise location a sound emanates from or to pick up familiar phrases like ‘sit’, ‘who’s a good doggy’, etc.
Tilting their heads for your furry friends has the same result as a bat’s echolocation.
1. To See Better
Your furry friend has to read your facial expressions in order to properly determine what you need.
However, your doggie finds it difficult to see past their muzzle. To properly understand this, make a fist and stick your thumb out in front of your nose, you’ll notice that your view is a bit obscured.
Since dogs do not only rely on their auditory sense but also their visual sense, they have to tilt their heads in order to see better.
Related Questions
Why Do Dogs Tilt Their Head When You Talk To Them? Dogs tilt their heads when you talk to them so that they can understand and hear you better. It makes it easier for them to pick out certain words or phrases that make sense to them such as “go for a ride”. When dogs tilt their heads, they have heard interesting sounds that they are not sure of.
What Dogs Tilt Their Heads? The German Shepherd is one of the dog breeds commonly known for tilting their heads. Dogs with flat faces and big mouths, such as Pugs and Boston Terriers, tend to tilt their heads more often than other dog breeds. In addition, intelligent dogs, such as Golden Retrieverand Labrador Retriever, tilt their heads more often as an attempt to better understand their owners.
Why Do German Shepherds Tilt Their Head So Much? German Shepherd Dogs tilt their heads more than any other dog breed because of their big mouths and their enhanced intelligence. GSDs are often regarded as being among the most intelligent of breeds and they strive to understand what you are saying even though they do not speak our language. The mouths of GSDs hinder their views on certain angles, thus they have to tilt their heads in order to see better.
