Clever reason dogs tilt their heads when you speak and it's not confusion
A dog owner asked why do dogs tilt their heads when you're speaking - and it turns out there's a scientific reason behind it
Since dog owners can't chat with their furry friends using spoken language, they often turn to interpreting body language to understand their pets ' thoughts and emotions. Yet, many are baffled by certain dog behaviours, such as why their pooch tilts its head when being spoken to about anything from dinner time to the day's activities.
This confusion prompted one curious dog owner to pose a question on Reddit: "Explain like I'm five - why do dogs tilt their heads when they are confused or trying to comprehend something?" VCA Animal Hospital provides an explanation, suggesting that dogs tilt their heads while we talk to show they're paying attention and engaging with what's being said.
It also shows that the dog is trying to pick up on specific tones and listen out for keywords like 'dinner', 'walk', or 'park' that might be part of the conversation.
As VCA explained: "Dogs understand us by assessing not only what we say, but how we say it.
"They assess our facial expressions, eye movements, tone of voice, body language, and inflection to translate human communications.
"To understand us, dogs must clearly see our faces and tilting their heads may help in this process."
The shape of a dog's head and face can also affect how often they tilt their heads during interactions. The report states: "Head and face shape may interfere with what a dog can see. To understand how a long snout obstructs vision, place your fist against your nose and look around. You'll need to turn your head to see an object directly in front of you. Dogs do the same thing.
"They adjust their heads to navigate around their obstructive snouts and enhance their visual perspective. That endearing head tilt expands their field of vision and enables a dog to better observe a person's face. Seeing our facial expressions enhances communication.
"It stands to reason that dogs with flatter faces, like bulldogs and Boston terriers, may tilt their heads less since their short noses do not get in the way as much as long muzzles. That cute head tilt may therefore be a result of physical conformation (structural arrangement of the facial and ear bones)."
Owners often unintentionally encourage this behaviour because it's seen as "cute". Typically, dogs receive a pat, soothing words, or a smile when they exhibit a head tilt.
The report further explains: "Another reason that dogs may tilt their heads is because we condition them to do so by offering positive reinforcement.
"Our reaction to the head tilt prompts them to repeat the behaviour, so the more we express delight over the adorable canine head tilt, the more it becomes a frequent occurrence."
Discussing canine behaviour, one Reddit user said: "Dogs can be pretty good at pointing their ears to hear where a sound is coming from. Think of a human turning the side of their head towards someone when they are having a hard time hearing.
"I usually see our dogs cock their head towards a sound when they are moussing or hunting hare/grouse. Their ears open up and point towards where they believe the sound to be coming from."
Another person explained: "Turning and cocking their head to one side helps to open up their ear canal so they can hear better. Dogs also tilt their heads because we make them feel good when they hear us say things like, 'Isn't that just so cute.'
"We provide them with positive reinforcement because our tone of voice allows them to understand we are saying something good."
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