- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
All your pup needs to do is cock their head to one side to make your heart—and the heart of anyone else watching—explode, due to the sheer cuteness. It’s an entirely observable fact. But there may also be some scientific explanations as to why dogs tilt their heads.
Some experts believe dogs might strike this adorable pose to aid their sight or hearing, or because they want to pay extra close attention to whatever’s happening around them.
Below, get the details on the four main reasons why your dog might tilt their head, plus a few signs it’s time to contact a veterinarian.
Dogs May Tilt Their Heads To See Better
It’s possible that head-tilting provides a vision boost for certain dog breeds.
For example, a particularly long snout could easily obscure your dog’s field of vision. Moving their head, then, might provide them with a better perspective of a particular object—like that plate of bacon sitting on the counter.
One survey appears to back this up. According to 582 dog parents, dogs with longer muzzles were more likely to cock their heads when spoken to than dogs with flatter snouts. The survey author believes these findings suggest dogs might head tilt when they want to see your face more clearly.
Dogs May Tilt Their Heads When Listening Carefully
That said, some experts believe this behavior might have more to do with hearing than with sight.
Imagine you’re in a noisy place and hear a weird sound. You might put your hand up to your ear or turn your head to try and figure out which direction the sound came from. As it turns out, head-tilting might be your dog’s way of doing the same thing.
It’s possible that some dogs might tilt their heads to determine a sound’s origin, says Dr. Pete Scheifele, professor and neuroradiology researcher at the University of Cincinnati and executive director of Fetchlab. According to Scheifele, head-tilting might enhance sound localization, which describes the ability to understand the origin of a sound’s direction and distance.
In other words, tipping their head to one side doesn’t necessarily help your dog hear better. But it may help them better understand the origins of certain sounds.
Head Tilting Could Be A Sign Of Intelligence
There’s also a behavioral aspect to head-tilting, Dr. Scheifele says, which depends on the type of sound was made and its possible meaning.
For example, one 2021 study checked the frequency of head tilts for 40 dogs during knowledge tests. During the test, each dog parent asked their dog to fetch a specific toy by name. The dogs who knew the names of the toys tended to tilt their heads more often than the other dogs.
So, head tilting could point to increased attention, or suggest the dogs were trying to match up audio cues with their memory. To put it simply, frequent head tilting could mean you have an intelligent pup on your hands.
Which dog breeds tilt their heads?
According to the survey of 582 dog parents mentioned above, certain breeds may be more likely to tilt their heads than others! 71% of dogs who tilted their heads often had larger muzzles, which may obscure vision. This group includes breeds like Greyhounds, Beagles, Collies, and Retrievers.
The survey also found that 52% of flat-faced dog breeds tilted their heads often, too. This group would include breeds like Boston Terriers and Pugs.
In short, tilting isn’t exclusive to certain breeds—though it might be more common in dogs who pay close attention to certain cues.
Dogs May Learn To Tilt Their Heads From Your Reaction
If early humans found this pose as cute as you do, it’s always possible they could have chosen to breed dogs who tilted their heads more often in order to keep this adorable behavior going.
But Dr. Mindy Waite, a certified dog behaviorist, is skeptical about this idea. After all, if this behavior was purposefully bred into dogs, she believes it would be more common.
Head tilting can, however, be a learned behavior, Dr. Waite says. If your dog understands you think this behavior is adorable—perhaps because you give them a treat, cuddle, or pay them other attention when they do it—it’s only natural they’d start to do it more often.
And of course, that’s a win for you both: They get something they want, and you get plenty of cute content for TikTok.
Should I Worry If My Dog Tilts Their Head?
Most of the time, head tilting is a perfectly natural behavior for dogs. But in certain cases, a sudden uptick in the behavior could point to an underlying health issue.
For example, an inner ear infection can cause inflammation in your dog’s ears and may lead them to tilt their head toward the affected side.
Vestibular disease can also cause some dogs to tilt their heads. The vestibular system helps your dog maintain their sense of balance, so a dog with vestibular disease might cock their head to one side or the other. They might also show other symptoms, like falling down, rolling, or stumbling.
If you’ve only recently started noticing this behavior and it happens along with other new or unusual symptoms, you’ll want to make an appointment with your vet as soon as possible. They can identify and treat the underlying cause, and they may be able to prescribe medication to combat nausea or motion sickness and help your dog feel more comfortable.
That said, head tilting usually doesn’t mean there’s anything amiss with your pup. In fact, most of the time it’s more likely a sign they want to see something more clearly, understand the source of a sound, or pay closer attention to a favorite person—like you!
So, give your attentive little pup a pat on the head—and don’t forget to share those adorable pics on Instagram.