Dogs have an adorable way of tilting their heads to the side when spoken to, a move that perhaps helps them listen better to what the owner is saying.
But experts say dogs are doing more than just listening when their heads move at an angle. Yahoo! Shine consulted doctors and K-9 specialists about several reasons why dogs tilt their heads to the side in response to sounds.
When an owner is speaking to a dog, the animal tries to recognize certain words it knows are related to receiving a reward, such as going for a walk, writes Steven R. Lindsay in "Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training," according to Yahoo! Shine. The dog tilts its head to better understand the speaker's words and tone of voice.
Lindsay also notes that the part of the brain that controls head movements and facial expressions also controls muscles in the dog's middle ear, according to Yahoo! Shine.
Experts say another reason for the head slanting is that dogs are trying to see the person better. Dr. Stanley Corren tells Yahoo! Shine it is harder for some dogs to see the speaker's face because they have long muzzles. The equivalent for a human would be taking one's fist, holding it up to the nose and trying to see things around them.
Dogs interpret humans through body language and mouth movements, Yahoo! Shine reported. Tilting the head makes it easier to see the speaker's mouth, Corren told Yahoo! Shine.
Corren also said dogs like Boston terriers, Pekingese and pugs that have flatter faces may not have to tilt their heads as much, Yahoo! Shine reported. Corren came to this conclusion after conducting a study of 582 dog owners. Of the total number of dogs, 186 had flat heads.
Fifty-two percent of the owners with flat-headed dogs said they saw tilting when listening. On the other hand, 71 percent of the dog owners with large muzzles said their dogs' head tilted while listening, Yahoo! Shine reported.
