Dogs do a lot of cute things, but there are few that are cuter than the head tilt. I make a lot of strange noises around my dogs just to see if they tilt their heads to the side in a puzzled expression.
New toys and games can cause dogs to tilt their heads. We recommend this unusual toy for inducing a head tilt in your dog.
Most dog owners will tell you that a dog's head tilt indicates that he or she is interested in or experiencing something unusual. But why are they doing it?
There are a few possible explanations for your dog's adorable tip of the noggin. Here are a few possibilities.
Empathy Causes Head Tilts
According to experts, the head tilt has a lot to do with a dog's ability to empathize.
Dogs have evolved to be extremely adept at comprehending human language. They can empathize with us by reading our body language, facial gestures, and speech patterns. They recognize specific words and vocal tones and associate them with play, walks, or food.
When they tilt their heads, it's possible that they're trying to filter what we're saying in order to pick out those familiar parts of our language, whether it's your tone of voice or literal words.
They're really trying hard to hear something they recognize.
They may be attempting to hear you more clearly.
Even though dogs can hear frequencies that humans cannot, they are not as good as humans at determining where sounds originate.
Some experts believe that when a dog tilts their head, they are attempting to adjust the pinnae, or outer ears, to better detect the source of a sound.
So if you make a strange noise, your dog might think, "That's strange. I'd better check to see if that sound is truly coming from my human.”
They might be trying to get a better look at you.
The head tilt could be a response to visual cues as well as auditory cues.
According to Stanley Coren of Psychology Today, a dog's muzzle may make it difficult to see the source of a sound. Dogs can see our faces and read our expressions better by tilting their heads, which they are also very good at.
Whatever the case, it's one of the cutest things on the planet. I'm sure I'll keep making strange noises to get my pups to tilt their heads. Maybe one day they'll realize I'm a particularly odd human and disregard my shenanigans.
But, until then, it's all head tilts.
Do you enjoy it when your dog tilts his or her head? Do you make strange noises to see if they will look at you strangely? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
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