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“We observed 40 dogs during object-label knowledge tests and analysed head-tilts occurring while listening to humans requesting verbally to fetch a familiar toy,” the study states. “Our results indicate that only dogs that had learned the name of the objects tilted their heads frequently. … Thus, we suggest a relationship between head-tilting and processing relevant, meaningful stimuli.”
“This study is the first step in this direction,” the researchers said, “showing how this behavior could be related to the presence of meaningful and salient auditory stimuli for the dog.”
The dogs in the study that were considered “gifted word learner dogs” and recognized more objects tilted their heads in response to their owners naming the objects 43 percent of the time, while the other dogs only did so 2 percent of the time.
Does your heart melt when your dog tilts its head at you? Researchers in Hungary believe they’ve discovered the reason why these furry friends do it.
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Goldman believes that we can influence head tilting by how we interact with our dogs. “I think it might happen more often in certain dogs than others because it’s reinforced. I believe it is usually followed by a positive event, like ‘Do you want a cookie?’ or ‘Do you want a walk?’ or ‘Do you want to go in the car?’ and things of that nature. I don’t think most people say, ‘Do you want to go to the vet?’” The cookie, walk, or car ride that comes next is rewarding for the dog. And because dogs repeat behaviors that are rewarded, our positive reaction can increase the frequency of head tilting.
Goldman also believes that vision plays a role in head tilting and suggests that research done in other species could lead us in the right direction. “They are looking at head tilting in primates, for example, common marmoset monkeys, and what they are finding is that it has a lot more to do with the visual cortex than it has to do with getting more auditory cues,” she says.
It’s irresistibly cute. A dog with a head cocked to the side makes us smile, and it’s hard not to shower him with praise, pats, or treats. But why do dogs tilt their heads? Do they know how adorable they look, or is something else going on?
No matter why dogs tilt their heads, it provides a way for humans and dogs to bond. After all, we’ve been known to head tilt, too. Goldman imagines a dog begging on a street corner in a third-world country. What if he gives a head tilt? “I think it would probably benefit him,” she says. “It would be adaptive because it’s something we have in common. The human relates to him.” And that’s good for both of us.
Stanley Coren, Ph.D. in psychology, also hypothesized that vision is a possible cause of head tilts. He reasoned that a dog’s muzzle might obstruct his view, so to get a better look at his owner’s face, a dog could tilt his head. His pilot study showed that dogs with more pronounced muzzles, such as Greyhounds, exhibited head-tilting behavior toward their owners more often than those with flatter faces, for example, Pugs. So, head shape and muzzle size may influence head tilting. However, more than one-half of the flat-faced dogs head tilted, so there may be more going on than simple snout issues.