People finally learning why dogs tilt head when you’re talking to them | UK | News

While every dog owner would love to speak their pet’s language, this simply isn’t possible. Instead, we have to rely on their body language to tell us what’s going on inside their heads.

But even then, many people have no idea what certain cues actually mean, such as when your dog slowly tilts their head when you’re speaking to them – whether it’s asking them if they’re ready for their tea or you’re running through your plans for the day.

It prompted on dog owner to ask on Reddit: “Explain like I’m five – why do dogs tilt their heads when they are confused or trying to comprehend something?”

According to VCA Animal Hospital, dogs tilt their heads when you’re talking to them to show they’re activity listening to what you’re saying.

Not only this but they’re also trying to figure out your tone and listening out for ‘trigger words’ – such as ‘dinner, walk, or park – throughout your conversation.

A statement reads: “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.”

However, this isn’t the only reason as their head and face shape can play a huge factor in how often you catch them tilting their head when you’re speaking to them.

The statement adds: “Head and face shape may interfere with what a dog can see. To grasp how a long snout interferes with vision, hold a fist to your nose and look around. You must turn your head to see an object directly in front of you. Dogs do the same thing.

“They tilt their heads to work around their interfering muzzles and improve their visual perspective. That cute head tilt broadens the range of vision and allows a dog to more clearly see a person’s face. Seeing our facial expressions improves 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).”

It’s not uncommon for owners to unknowingly encourage their behaviour because it’s “cute”.

In many cases, they will reward their dog with a pat, continue speaking to them in a soft tone or give them a smile when they’re tilting their head.

The statement reads: “Another reason that dogs may tilt their heads is because we teach them to do it by providing positive reinforcement.

“Our response to the head tilt encourages repetition, so the more we gush over the cute canine head tilt, the more we get to enjoy it.”

Commenting on this, one 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 user added: “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.”