Why Do Dogs tilt their head?

We all know how endearing it is when a dog tilts its head and looks at you, but the question is why do they do this cute little tilt?

Here are a few possible explanations for this head-tilt:

To hear more clearly.

A dog’s ear is constructed differently than a human’s ear making the head-tilt possibly part of the dog’s ability to detect sound. By tilting its head the dog is able to adjust their outer ears to better locate the noise.

To get a better understanding of our facial expressions.

This head-tilt can help them better pick up to our facial expressions, body language, and voices. Also dogs with larger snouts are seen more often tilting their heads when spoken too than dogs with smaller snouts. To test this out put your fist in front of your nose, when you tilt your head with your fist in front your vision gets slightly clearer.

To empathize with you.

The head-tilt may have to do with our dog picking up on our emotions. When your dog realizes you are sad, it may look at your with those wide eyes and angle their head to empathize with you. This head-tilt could be your pup’s way of telling you that it is listening to you.

Next time you are minding a dog, try to notice why the dog tilts its head too. Whether it’s to get a treat or to empathize with you, it’s hard to not think a head tilt is undeniably cute.