Why does a dog tilt its head when you talk to it?

If I ask my Airedale the tricky question “Who’s a good boy?” or “Where should we go now?”, he will probably tilt his head to the side, looking at me carefully. This touching sight gives great pleasure. And, I think, almost every dog ​​owner has observed this behavior of the pet. Why do dogs tilt their heads when you talk to them?

In the photo: the dog tilts its head. Photo: flickr.com

So far, there is no definite answer to this question, but dog behavior researchers put forward several hypotheses.

In what situations does the dog tilt its head?

The answer to this question, of course, depends on the behavior of a particular dog. However, most often the dog tilts its head when it hears a sound. It can be a strange, unfamiliar sound to the dog (for example, too high), and sometimes the dog reacts this way to a specific word that evokes an emotional response (for example, “eat”, “walk”, “walk”, “car”, “leash” etc.)

Many dogs tilt their heads when they hear a question addressed to them or another person with whom they have an emotional connection. Although some dogs behave this way when they hear strange sounds on TV, radio, or even some distant noise that is barely audible to us.

In the photo: the puppy tilts its head. Photo: flickr.com

Why do dogs bow their heads?

As already mentioned, there is no single answer to this question, but there are several hypotheses that are worth considering.

1. Close emotional connection with a specific person. Some animal behaviorists believe that dogs tilt their heads when their owners talk to them because they have a strong emotional bond with their owners. And, tilting their heads, they try to better understand what the person wants to convey to them. 
2. Curiosity. Another hypothesis is that dogs react by tilting their heads to a sound that is very interesting to them. For example, strange sounds from the TV or the question of the owner, asked with an unusual intonation.
3. Learning. Dogs are constantly learning, and form associations. And maybe your dog has learned to tilt its head to specific sounds or phrases, seeing your tenderness, which is a reinforcement for it. 
4. To hear better. Another hypothesis is that due to the tilt of the head, the dog can hear and recognize sounds better.

When a dog tries to understand a person, it also tries to look at him. The fact is that dogs rely on body language and try to additionally “count” microcues that we ourselves do not always notice.

In the photo: the dog tilts its head. Photo: wikimedia.org

However, whatever the reason why dogs tilt their heads, it looks so funny that owners sometimes try to make strange sounds to admire the focused, head tilted pet. And, of course, take a cute photo.